diff --git a/libnm-core/nm-setting-wired.c b/libnm-core/nm-setting-wired.c
index ccdbc2b5ed..379bd17361 100644
--- a/libnm-core/nm-setting-wired.c
+++ b/libnm-core/nm-setting-wired.c
@@ -766,10 +766,11 @@ verify (NMSetting *setting, NMConnection *connection, GError **error)
 	}
 
 	if (priv->device_mac_address && !nm_utils_hwaddr_valid (priv->device_mac_address, ETH_ALEN)) {
-		g_set_error_literal (error,
-		                     NM_CONNECTION_ERROR,
-		                     NM_CONNECTION_ERROR_INVALID_PROPERTY,
-		                     _("is not a valid MAC address"));
+		g_set_error (error,
+		             NM_CONNECTION_ERROR,
+		             NM_CONNECTION_ERROR_INVALID_PROPERTY,
+		             _("'%s' is not a valid MAC address"),
+		             priv->device_mac_address);
 		g_prefix_error (error, "%s.%s: ", NM_SETTING_WIRED_SETTING_NAME, NM_SETTING_WIRED_MAC_ADDRESS);
 		return FALSE;
 	}
@@ -831,10 +832,11 @@ verify (NMSetting *setting, NMConnection *connection, GError **error)
 	if (   priv->cloned_mac_address
 	    && !NM_CLONED_MAC_IS_SPECIAL (priv->cloned_mac_address)
 	    && !nm_utils_hwaddr_valid (priv->cloned_mac_address, ETH_ALEN)) {
-		g_set_error_literal (error,
-		                     NM_CONNECTION_ERROR,
-		                     NM_CONNECTION_ERROR_INVALID_PROPERTY,
-		                     _("is not a valid MAC address"));
+		g_set_error (error,
+		             NM_CONNECTION_ERROR,
+		             NM_CONNECTION_ERROR_INVALID_PROPERTY,
+		             _("'%s' is not a valid MAC address"),
+		             priv->cloned_mac_address);
 		g_prefix_error (error, "%s.%s: ", NM_SETTING_WIRED_SETTING_NAME, NM_SETTING_WIRED_CLONED_MAC_ADDRESS);
 		return FALSE;
 	}
@@ -873,10 +875,11 @@ verify (NMSetting *setting, NMConnection *connection, GError **error)
 	}
 
 	if (priv->wol_password && !nm_utils_hwaddr_valid (priv->wol_password, ETH_ALEN)) {
-		g_set_error_literal (error,
-		                     NM_CONNECTION_ERROR,
-		                     NM_CONNECTION_ERROR_INVALID_PROPERTY,
-		                     _("is not a valid MAC address"));
+		g_set_error (error,
+		             NM_CONNECTION_ERROR,
+		             NM_CONNECTION_ERROR_INVALID_PROPERTY,
+		             _("'%s' is not a valid MAC address"),
+		             priv->wol_password);
 		g_prefix_error (error, "%s.%s: ", NM_SETTING_WIRED_SETTING_NAME, NM_SETTING_WIRED_WAKE_ON_LAN_PASSWORD);
 		return FALSE;
 	}
diff --git a/src/initrd/nmi-cmdline-reader.c b/src/initrd/nmi-cmdline-reader.c
index b79b43fe42..ccdd1f2992 100644
--- a/src/initrd/nmi-cmdline-reader.c
+++ b/src/initrd/nmi-cmdline-reader.c
@@ -745,6 +745,16 @@ nmi_cmdline_reader_parse (const char *sysfs_dir, char **argv)
 		NMConnection *connection;
 		NMSettingWired *s_wired;
 
+		if (   !nm_utils_hwaddr_valid (bootif, ETH_ALEN)
+		    && g_str_has_prefix (bootif, "01-")
+		    && nm_utils_hwaddr_valid (&bootif[3], ETH_ALEN)) {
+			/*
+			 * BOOTIF MAC address can be prefixed with a hardware type identifier.
+			 * "01" stays for "wired", no other are known.
+			 */
+			bootif += 3;
+		}
+
 		connection = get_conn (connections, NULL, NM_SETTING_WIRED_SETTING_NAME);
 
 		s_wired = nm_connection_get_setting_wired (connection);
diff --git a/src/initrd/tests/test-cmdline-reader.c b/src/initrd/tests/test-cmdline-reader.c
index 798efbfa6a..9bae73a281 100644
--- a/src/initrd/tests/test-cmdline-reader.c
+++ b/src/initrd/tests/test-cmdline-reader.c
@@ -286,8 +286,12 @@ static void
 test_multiple (void)
 {
 	gs_unref_hashtable GHashTable *connections = NULL;
-	gs_strfreev char **argv = g_strdupv ((char *[]){ "ip=192.0.2.2:::::eth0", "ip=[2001:db8::2]:::::eth0", NULL });
+	gs_strfreev char **argv = g_strdupv ((char *[]){ "ip=192.0.2.2:::::eth0",
+	                                                 "ip=[2001:db8::2]:::::eth0",
+	                                                 "BOOTIF=00:53:AB:cd:02:03",
+	                                                 NULL });
 	NMConnection *connection;
+	NMSettingWired *s_wired;
 	NMSettingIPConfig *s_ip4;
 	NMSettingIPConfig *s_ip6;
 	NMIPAddress *ip_addr;
@@ -301,6 +305,10 @@ test_multiple (void)
 	nmtst_assert_connection_verifies_without_normalization (connection);
 	g_assert_cmpstr (nm_connection_get_id (connection), ==, "eth0");
 
+	s_wired = nm_connection_get_setting_wired (connection);
+	g_assert (s_wired);
+	g_assert_cmpstr (nm_setting_wired_get_mac_address (s_wired), ==, "00:53:AB:CD:02:03");
+
 	s_ip4 = nm_connection_get_setting_ip4_config (connection);
 	g_assert (s_ip4);
 	g_assert_cmpstr (nm_setting_ip_config_get_method (s_ip4), ==, NM_SETTING_IP4_CONFIG_METHOD_MANUAL);
@@ -326,7 +334,7 @@ test_some_more (void)
 	gs_unref_hashtable GHashTable *connections = NULL;
 	gs_strfreev char **argv = g_strdupv ((char *[]){ "bootdev=eth1", "hail", "nameserver=[2001:DB8:3::53]",
 	                                                 "satan", "nameserver=192.0.2.53", "worship",
-	                                                 "BOOTIF=00-53-AB-cd-02-03", "doom", "rd.peerdns=0",
+	                                                 "BOOTIF=01-00-53-AB-cd-02-03", "doom", "rd.peerdns=0",
 	                                                 "rd.route=[2001:DB8:3::/48]:[2001:DB8:2::1]:ens10",
 	                                                 NULL });
 	NMConnection *connection;
@@ -407,7 +415,7 @@ static void
 test_no_bootif (void)
 {
 	gs_unref_hashtable GHashTable *connections = NULL;
-	gs_strfreev char **argv = g_strdupv ((char *[]){ "BOOTIF=00-53-AB-cd-02-03", "rd.bootif=0", NULL });
+	gs_strfreev char **argv = g_strdupv ((char *[]){ "BOOTIF=01-00-53-AB-cd-02-03", "rd.bootif=0", NULL });
 
 	connections = nmi_cmdline_reader_parse (TEST_INITRD_DIR "/sysfs", argv);
 	g_assert (connections);