diff --git a/Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/socionext-netsec.txt b/Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/socionext-netsec.txt
index 9d6c9feb12ff..a3c1dffaa4bb 100644
--- a/Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/socionext-netsec.txt
+++ b/Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/socionext-netsec.txt
@@ -30,7 +30,9 @@ Optional properties: (See ethernet.txt file in the same directory)
 - max-frame-size: See ethernet.txt in the same directory.
 
 The MAC address will be determined using the optional properties
-defined in ethernet.txt.
+defined in ethernet.txt. The 'phy-mode' property is required, but may
+be set to the empty string if the PHY configuration is programmed by
+the firmware or set by hardware straps, and needs to be preserved.
 
 Example:
 	eth0: ethernet@522d0000 {
diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/socionext/netsec.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/socionext/netsec.c
index 806eb651cea3..1503cc9ec6e2 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/socionext/netsec.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/socionext/netsec.c
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 #include <linux/pm_runtime.h>
 #include <linux/acpi.h>
 #include <linux/of_mdio.h>
+#include <linux/of_net.h>
 #include <linux/etherdevice.h>
 #include <linux/interrupt.h>
 #include <linux/io.h>
@@ -1833,6 +1834,14 @@ static const struct net_device_ops netsec_netdev_ops = {
 static int netsec_of_probe(struct platform_device *pdev,
 			   struct netsec_priv *priv, u32 *phy_addr)
 {
+	int err;
+
+	err = of_get_phy_mode(pdev->dev.of_node, &priv->phy_interface);
+	if (err) {
+		dev_err(&pdev->dev, "missing required property 'phy-mode'\n");
+		return err;
+	}
+
 	priv->phy_np = of_parse_phandle(pdev->dev.of_node, "phy-handle", 0);
 	if (!priv->phy_np) {
 		dev_err(&pdev->dev, "missing required property 'phy-handle'\n");
@@ -1859,6 +1868,14 @@ static int netsec_acpi_probe(struct platform_device *pdev,
 	if (!IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_ACPI))
 		return -ENODEV;
 
+	/* ACPI systems are assumed to configure the PHY in firmware, so
+	 * there is really no need to discover the PHY mode from the DSDT.
+	 * Since firmware is known to exist in the field that configures the
+	 * PHY correctly but passes the wrong mode string in the phy-mode
+	 * device property, we have no choice but to ignore it.
+	 */
+	priv->phy_interface = PHY_INTERFACE_MODE_NA;
+
 	ret = device_property_read_u32(&pdev->dev, "phy-channel", phy_addr);
 	if (ret) {
 		dev_err(&pdev->dev,
@@ -1995,13 +2012,6 @@ static int netsec_probe(struct platform_device *pdev)
 	priv->msg_enable = NETIF_MSG_TX_ERR | NETIF_MSG_HW | NETIF_MSG_DRV |
 			   NETIF_MSG_LINK | NETIF_MSG_PROBE;
 
-	priv->phy_interface = device_get_phy_mode(&pdev->dev);
-	if ((int)priv->phy_interface < 0) {
-		dev_err(&pdev->dev, "missing required property 'phy-mode'\n");
-		ret = -ENODEV;
-		goto free_ndev;
-	}
-
 	priv->ioaddr = devm_ioremap(&pdev->dev, mmio_res->start,
 				    resource_size(mmio_res));
 	if (!priv->ioaddr) {