diff --git a/include/net.h b/include/net.h
index 942fa4c..e7f28d7 100644
--- a/include/net.h
+++ b/include/net.h
@@ -543,7 +543,7 @@
 void	NetStop(void);
 
 /* Load failed.	 Start again. */
-void	NetStartAgain(void);
+int	NetStartAgain(void);
 
 /* Get size of the ethernet header when we send */
 int	NetEthHdrSize(void);
@@ -613,6 +613,7 @@
 /* Transmit a packet */
 static inline void NetSendPacket(uchar *pkt, int len)
 {
+	/* Currently no way to return errors from eth_send() */
 	(void) eth_send(pkt, len);
 }
 
diff --git a/net/eth.c b/net/eth.c
index b6c2af3..13b7723 100644
--- a/net/eth.c
+++ b/net/eth.c
@@ -98,6 +98,9 @@
 	struct udevice *current;
 };
 
+/* eth_errno - This stores the most recent failure code from DM functions */
+static int eth_errno;
+
 static struct eth_uclass_priv *eth_get_uclass_priv(void)
 {
 	struct uclass *uc;
@@ -118,20 +121,32 @@
 		uclass_first_device(UCLASS_ETH, &uc_priv->current);
 }
 
+/*
+ * Typically this will simply return the active device.
+ * In the case where the most recent active device was unset, this will attempt
+ * to return the first device. If that device doesn't exist or fails to probe,
+ * this function will return NULL.
+ */
 struct udevice *eth_get_dev(void)
 {
 	struct eth_uclass_priv *uc_priv;
 
 	uc_priv = eth_get_uclass_priv();
 	if (!uc_priv->current)
-		uclass_first_device(UCLASS_ETH,
+		eth_errno = uclass_first_device(UCLASS_ETH,
 				    &uc_priv->current);
 	return uc_priv->current;
 }
 
+/*
+ * Typically this will just store a device pointer.
+ * In case it was not probed, we will attempt to do so.
+ * dev may be NULL to unset the active device.
+ */
 static void eth_set_dev(struct udevice *dev)
 {
-	device_probe(dev);
+	if (dev && !device_active(dev))
+		eth_errno = device_probe(dev);
 	eth_get_uclass_priv()->current = dev;
 }
 
@@ -155,7 +170,14 @@
 
 	uclass_get(UCLASS_ETH, &uc);
 	uclass_foreach_dev(it, uc) {
-		/* We need the seq to be valid, so make sure it's probed */
+		/*
+		 * We need the seq to be valid, so try to probe it.
+		 * If the probe fails, the seq will not match since it will be
+		 * -1 instead of what we are looking for.
+		 * We don't care about errors from probe here. Either they won't
+		 * match an alias or it will match a literal name and we'll pick
+		 * up the error when we try to probe again in eth_set_dev().
+		 */
 		device_probe(it);
 		/*
 		 * Check for the name or the sequence number to match
@@ -221,6 +243,7 @@
 {
 	struct udevice *current;
 	struct udevice *old_current;
+	int ret = -ENODEV;
 
 	current = eth_get_dev();
 	if (!current) {
@@ -243,22 +266,29 @@
 			else
 				memset(pdata->enetaddr, 0, 6);
 
-			if (eth_get_ops(current)->start(current) >= 0) {
+			ret = eth_get_ops(current)->start(current);
+			if (ret >= 0) {
 				struct eth_device_priv *priv =
 					current->uclass_priv;
 
 				priv->state = ETH_STATE_ACTIVE;
 				return 0;
 			}
-		}
+		} else
+			ret = eth_errno;
+
 		debug("FAIL\n");
 
-		/* This will ensure the new "current" attempted to probe */
+		/*
+		 * If ethrotate is enabled, this will change "current",
+		 * otherwise we will drop out of this while loop immediately
+		 */
 		eth_try_another(0);
+		/* This will ensure the new "current" attempted to probe */
 		current = eth_get_dev();
 	} while (old_current != current);
 
-	return -ENODEV;
+	return ret;
 }
 
 void eth_halt(void)
@@ -278,6 +308,7 @@
 int eth_send(void *packet, int length)
 {
 	struct udevice *current;
+	int ret;
 
 	current = eth_get_dev();
 	if (!current)
@@ -286,7 +317,12 @@
 	if (!device_active(current))
 		return -EINVAL;
 
-	return eth_get_ops(current)->send(current, packet, length);
+	ret = eth_get_ops(current)->send(current, packet, length);
+	if (ret < 0) {
+		/* We cannot completely return the error at present */
+		debug("%s: send() returned error %d\n", __func__, ret);
+	}
+	return ret;
 }
 
 int eth_rx(void)
@@ -313,6 +349,10 @@
 	}
 	if (ret == -EAGAIN)
 		ret = 0;
+	if (ret < 0) {
+		/* We cannot completely return the error at present */
+		debug("%s: recv() returned error %d\n", __func__, ret);
+	}
 	return ret;
 }
 
diff --git a/net/net.c b/net/net.c
index afec443..69f38f7 100644
--- a/net/net.c
+++ b/net/net.c
@@ -84,6 +84,7 @@
 #include <common.h>
 #include <command.h>
 #include <environment.h>
+#include <errno.h>
 #include <net.h>
 #if defined(CONFIG_STATUS_LED)
 #include <miiphy.h>
@@ -333,7 +334,7 @@
 
 int NetLoop(enum proto_t protocol)
 {
-	int ret = -1;
+	int ret = -EINVAL;
 
 	NetRestarted = 0;
 	NetDevExists = 0;
@@ -345,9 +346,10 @@
 	if (eth_is_on_demand_init() || protocol != NETCONS) {
 		eth_halt();
 		eth_set_current();
-		if (eth_init() < 0) {
+		ret = eth_init();
+		if (ret < 0) {
 			eth_halt();
-			return -1;
+			return ret;
 		}
 	} else
 		eth_init_state_only();
@@ -370,7 +372,7 @@
 	case 1:
 		/* network not configured */
 		eth_halt();
-		return -1;
+		return -ENODEV;
 
 	case 2:
 		/* network device not configured */
@@ -484,6 +486,8 @@
 		/*
 		 *	Check the ethernet for a new packet.  The ethernet
 		 *	receive routine will process it.
+		 *	Most drivers return the most recent packet size, but not
+		 *	errors that may have happened.
 		 */
 		eth_rx();
 
@@ -537,7 +541,7 @@
 		}
 
 		if (net_state == NETLOOP_FAIL)
-			NetStartAgain();
+			ret = NetStartAgain();
 
 		switch (net_state) {
 
@@ -597,11 +601,12 @@
 	net_set_state(NETLOOP_RESTART);
 }
 
-void NetStartAgain(void)
+int NetStartAgain(void)
 {
 	char *nretry;
 	int retry_forever = 0;
 	unsigned long retrycnt = 0;
+	int ret;
 
 	nretry = getenv("netretry");
 	if (nretry) {
@@ -621,7 +626,11 @@
 	if ((!retry_forever) && (NetTryCount >= retrycnt)) {
 		eth_halt();
 		net_set_state(NETLOOP_FAIL);
-		return;
+		/*
+		 * We don't provide a way for the protocol to return an error,
+		 * but this is almost always the reason.
+		 */
+		return -ETIMEDOUT;
 	}
 
 	NetTryCount++;
@@ -630,7 +639,7 @@
 #if !defined(CONFIG_NET_DO_NOT_TRY_ANOTHER)
 	eth_try_another(!NetRestarted);
 #endif
-	eth_init();
+	ret = eth_init();
 	if (NetRestartWrap) {
 		NetRestartWrap = 0;
 		if (NetDevExists) {
@@ -642,6 +651,7 @@
 	} else {
 		net_set_state(NETLOOP_RESTART);
 	}
+	return ret;
 }
 
 /**********************************************************************/
diff --git a/test/dm/eth.c b/test/dm/eth.c
index a0e9359..1923670 100644
--- a/test/dm/eth.c
+++ b/test/dm/eth.c
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@
 	/* If ethrotate is no, then we should fail on a bad MAC */
 	setenv("ethact", "eth@10004000");
 	setenv("ethrotate", "no");
-	ut_asserteq(-1, NetLoop(PING));
+	ut_asserteq(-EINVAL, NetLoop(PING));
 	ut_asserteq_str("eth@10004000", getenv("ethact"));
 
 	/* Restore the env */
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@
 	 */
 	setenv("ethact", "eth@10004000");
 	setenv("netretry", "no");
-	ut_asserteq(-1, NetLoop(PING));
+	ut_asserteq(-ETIMEDOUT, NetLoop(PING));
 	ut_asserteq_str("eth@10004000", getenv("ethact"));
 
 	/* Restore the env */