diff --git a/boards/native/Makefile.include b/boards/native/Makefile.include
index e23dcdf11765..a9daa0183e1e 100644
--- a/boards/native/Makefile.include
+++ b/boards/native/Makefile.include
@@ -10,10 +10,10 @@ export ELF = $(BINDIR)$(PROJECT).elf
 # toolchain:
 export PREFIX =
 export CC ?= $(PREFIX)gcc
-export AR = $(PREFIX)ar
-export AS = $(PREFIX)as
-export LINK = $(PREFIX)gcc
-export SIZE = $(PREFIX)size
+export AR ?= $(PREFIX)ar
+export AS ?= $(PREFIX)as
+export LINK ?= $(PREFIX)gcc
+export SIZE ?= $(PREFIX)size
 export OBJCOPY = true
 
 export DEBUGGER = gdb
@@ -25,7 +25,20 @@ export GPROF ?= gprof
 
 # flags:
 export CFLAGS += -Wall -Wextra -pedantic -m32
-export LINKFLAGS += -m32 -gc -ldl
+ifeq ($(shell uname -s),FreeBSD)
+ifeq ($(shell uname -m),amd64)
+export CFLAGS += -DCOMPAT_32BIT -L/usr/lib32 -B/usr/lib32
+endif
+endif
+export LINKFLAGS += -m32 -gc
+ifeq ($(shell uname -s),FreeBSD)
+ifeq ($(shell uname -m),amd64)
+export LINKFLAGS += -DCOMPAT_32BIT -L/usr/lib32 -B/usr/lib32
+endif
+export LINKFLAGS += -L $(BINDIR)
+else
+export LINKFLAGS += -ldl
+endif
 export ASFLAGS =
 export DEBUGGER_FLAGS = $(ELF)
 term-memcheck: export VALGRIND_FLAGS ?= --track-origins=yes
diff --git a/cpu/native/include/native_internal.h b/cpu/native/include/native_internal.h
index a55f20edd017..cf9bf042416f 100644
--- a/cpu/native/include/native_internal.h
+++ b/cpu/native/include/native_internal.h
@@ -13,6 +13,28 @@
 #define _NATIVE_INTERNAL_H
 
 #include <signal.h>
+/* enable signal handler register access on different platforms
+ * check here for more:
+ * http://sourceforge.net/p/predef/wiki/OperatingSystems/
+ */
+#if (defined(__FreeBSD__) || defined(__MACH__))
+#ifndef _XOPEN_SOURCE
+#define _XOPEN_SOURCE
+#include <ucontext.h>
+#undef _XOPEN_SOURCE
+#else
+#include <ucontext.h>
+#endif
+#elif defined(__linux__)
+#ifndef _GNU_SOURCE
+#define GNU_SOURCE
+#include <ucontext.h>
+#undef GNU_SOURCE
+#else
+#include <ucontext.h>
+#endif
+#endif // BSD/Linux
+
 
 /**
  * internal functions
@@ -76,28 +98,6 @@ int unregister_interrupt(int sig);
 
 //#include <sys/param.h>
 
-/* enable signal handler register access on different platforms
- * check here for more:
- * http://sourceforge.net/p/predef/wiki/OperatingSystems/
- */
-#ifdef BSD // BSD = (FreeBSD, Darwin, ...)
-#ifndef _XOPEN_SOURCE
-#define _XOPEN_SOURCE
-#include <ucontext.h>
-#undef _XOPEN_SOURCE
-#else
-#include <ucontext.h>
-#endif
-#elif defined(__linux__)
-#ifndef _GNU_SOURCE
-#define GNU_SOURCE
-#include <ucontext.h>
-#undef GNU_SOURCE
-#else
-#include <ucontext.h>
-#endif
-#endif // BSD/Linux
-
 #include "kernel_internal.h"
 #include "sched.h"
 
diff --git a/cpu/native/irq_cpu.c b/cpu/native/irq_cpu.c
index 2de537835cbc..8d8785c37191 100644
--- a/cpu/native/irq_cpu.c
+++ b/cpu/native/irq_cpu.c
@@ -340,7 +340,7 @@ void native_isr_entry(int sig, siginfo_t *info, void *context)
 #ifdef __MACH__
     _native_saved_eip = ((ucontext_t *)context)->uc_mcontext->__ss.__eip;
     ((ucontext_t *)context)->uc_mcontext->__ss.__eip = (unsigned int)&_native_sig_leave_tramp;
-#elif BSD
+#elif defined(__FreeBSD__)
     _native_saved_eip = ((struct sigcontext *)context)->sc_eip;
     ((struct sigcontext *)context)->sc_eip = (unsigned int)&_native_sig_leave_tramp;
 #else
diff --git a/cpu/native/net/tap.c b/cpu/native/net/tap.c
index 03920dc21177..52ed19da21ab 100644
--- a/cpu/native/net/tap.c
+++ b/cpu/native/net/tap.c
@@ -31,6 +31,13 @@
 #undef _POSIX_C_SOURCE
 #include <ifaddrs.h>
 #include <net/if_dl.h>
+
+#elif defined(__FreeBSD__)
+#include <sys/socket.h>
+#include <net/if.h>
+#include <ifaddrs.h>
+#include <net/if_dl.h>
+
 #else
 #include <net/if.h>
 #include <linux/if_tun.h>
@@ -232,6 +239,9 @@ int tap_init(char *name)
 #ifdef __MACH__ /* OSX */
     char clonedev[255] = "/dev/"; /* XXX bad size */
     strncpy(clonedev+5, name, 250);
+#elif defined(__FreeBSD__)
+    char clonedev[255] = "/dev/"; /* XXX bad size */
+    strncpy(clonedev+5, name, 250);
 #else /* Linux */
     struct ifreq ifr;
     const char *clonedev = "/dev/net/tun";
@@ -242,7 +252,7 @@ int tap_init(char *name)
         err(EXIT_FAILURE, "open(%s)", clonedev);
     }
 
-#ifdef __MACH__ /* OSX */
+#if (defined(__MACH__) || defined(__FreeBSD__)) /* OSX/FreeBSD */
     struct ifaddrs* iflist;
     if (getifaddrs(&iflist) == 0) {
         for (struct ifaddrs *cur = iflist; cur; cur = cur->ifa_next) {
diff --git a/cpu/native/syscalls.c b/cpu/native/syscalls.c
index 6e94aeba1bcb..dd827dabeed6 100644
--- a/cpu/native/syscalls.c
+++ b/cpu/native/syscalls.c
@@ -163,6 +163,9 @@ ssize_t _native_write(int fd, const void *buf, size_t count)
     return r;
 }
 
+#if defined(__FreeBSD__)
+#undef putchar
+#endif
 int putchar(int c) {
     _native_write(STDOUT_FILENO, &c, 1);
     return 0;
diff --git a/cpu/native/tapsetup-freebsd.sh b/cpu/native/tapsetup-freebsd.sh
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..9b4ab39f9722
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cpu/native/tapsetup-freebsd.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+COMMAND=${1}
+COUNT=${2}
+
+DEFCOUNT="2"
+
+if [ -z "${USER}" ]; then
+    echo 'need to export $USER'
+    exit 1
+fi
+if [ -z "${COMMAND}" ]; then
+    echo "usage: $(basename $0) <create [count]|delete>"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+if [ "${COMMAND}" = 'create' ]; then
+    if [ -z "${COUNT}" ]; then
+        COUNT="${DEFCOUNT}"
+    fi
+
+    # load kernel modules
+    sudo kldload if_tap
+    sudo kldload if_bridge
+
+    # set permissions
+    sudo sysctl net.link.tap.user_open=1
+
+    # create network
+    echo "creating ${BRNAME} ..."
+    sudo ifconfig bridge0 create
+    sudo ifconfig bridge0 up
+
+    for N in $(seq 0 "$((COUNT - 1))"); do
+        sudo ifconfig tap${N} create
+        sudo chown ${USER} /dev/tap${N}
+        sudo ifconfig tap${N} up
+        sudo ifconfig bridge0 addm tap${N}
+    done
+
+elif [ "${COMMAND}" = 'delete' ]; then
+    # reset permissions (devices already destroyed)
+    sudo sysctl net.link.tap.user_open=0
+
+    # unload kernel modules
+    sudo kldunload if_tap
+    sudo kldunload if_bridge
+
+else
+    echo 'unknown command'
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+exit 0