int0_enable |= UMAC_IRQ_TXDMA_DONE;
 
        /* Monitor cable plug/unplugged event for internal PHY */
-       if (phy_is_internal(priv->phydev)) {
+       if (priv->internal_phy) {
                int0_enable |= UMAC_IRQ_LINK_EVENT;
        } else if (priv->ext_phy) {
                int0_enable |= UMAC_IRQ_LINK_EVENT;
        /* If this is an internal GPHY, power it back on now, before UniMAC is
         * brought out of reset as absolutely no UniMAC activity is allowed
         */
-       if (phy_is_internal(priv->phydev))
+       if (priv->internal_phy)
                bcmgenet_power_up(priv, GENET_POWER_PASSIVE);
 
        /* take MAC out of reset */
 
        bcmgenet_set_hw_addr(priv, dev->dev_addr);
 
-       if (phy_is_internal(priv->phydev)) {
+       if (priv->internal_phy) {
                reg = bcmgenet_ext_readl(priv, EXT_EXT_PWR_MGMT);
                reg |= EXT_ENERGY_DET_MASK;
                bcmgenet_ext_writel(priv, reg, EXT_EXT_PWR_MGMT);
        free_irq(priv->irq0, priv);
        free_irq(priv->irq1, priv);
 
-       if (phy_is_internal(priv->phydev))
+       if (priv->internal_phy)
                ret = bcmgenet_power_down(priv, GENET_POWER_PASSIVE);
 
        if (!IS_ERR(priv->clk))
        if (device_may_wakeup(d) && priv->wolopts) {
                ret = bcmgenet_power_down(priv, GENET_POWER_WOL_MAGIC);
                clk_prepare_enable(priv->clk_wol);
-       } else if (phy_is_internal(priv->phydev)) {
+       } else if (priv->internal_phy) {
                ret = bcmgenet_power_down(priv, GENET_POWER_PASSIVE);
        }
 
        /* If this is an internal GPHY, power it back on now, before UniMAC is
         * brought out of reset as absolutely no UniMAC activity is allowed
         */
-       if (phy_is_internal(priv->phydev))
+       if (priv->internal_phy)
                bcmgenet_power_up(priv, GENET_POWER_PASSIVE);
 
        bcmgenet_umac_reset(priv);
 
        bcmgenet_set_hw_addr(priv, dev->dev_addr);
 
-       if (phy_is_internal(priv->phydev)) {
+       if (priv->internal_phy) {
                reg = bcmgenet_ext_readl(priv, EXT_EXT_PWR_MGMT);
                reg |= EXT_ENERGY_DET_MASK;
                bcmgenet_ext_writel(priv, reg, EXT_EXT_PWR_MGMT);
 
        u32 port_ctrl;
        u32 reg;
 
-       priv->ext_phy = !phy_is_internal(priv->phydev) &&
+       priv->ext_phy = !priv->internal_phy &&
                        (priv->phy_interface != PHY_INTERFACE_MODE_MOCA);
 
-       if (phy_is_internal(priv->phydev))
+       if (priv->internal_phy)
                priv->phy_interface = PHY_INTERFACE_MODE_NA;
 
        switch (priv->phy_interface) {
 
                bcmgenet_sys_writel(priv, port_ctrl, SYS_PORT_CTRL);
 
-               if (phy_is_internal(priv->phydev)) {
+               if (priv->internal_phy) {
                        phy_name = "internal PHY";
                        bcmgenet_internal_phy_setup(dev);
                } else if (priv->phy_interface == PHY_INTERFACE_MODE_MOCA) {
        /* The internal PHY has its link interrupts routed to the
         * Ethernet MAC ISRs
         */
-       if (phy_is_internal(priv->phydev))
+       if (priv->internal_phy)
                priv->mii_bus->irq[phydev->addr] = PHY_IGNORE_INTERRUPT;
        else
                priv->mii_bus->irq[phydev->addr] = PHY_POLL;
 {
        struct device_node *dn = priv->pdev->dev.of_node;
        struct device *kdev = &priv->pdev->dev;
+       const char *phy_mode_str = NULL;
        char *compat;
+       int phy_mode;
        int ret;
 
        compat = kasprintf(GFP_KERNEL, "brcm,genet-mdio-v%d", priv->version);
        priv->phy_dn = of_parse_phandle(dn, "phy-handle", 0);
 
        /* Get the link mode */
-       priv->phy_interface = of_get_phy_mode(dn);
+       phy_mode = of_get_phy_mode(dn);
+       priv->phy_interface = phy_mode;
+
+       /* We need to specifically look up whether this PHY interface is internal
+        * or not *before* we even try to probe the PHY driver over MDIO as we
+        * may have shut down the internal PHY for power saving purposes.
+        */
+       if (phy_mode < 0) {
+               ret = of_property_read_string(dn, "phy-mode", &phy_mode_str);
+               if (ret < 0) {
+                       dev_err(kdev, "invalid PHY mode property\n");
+                       return ret;
+               }
+
+               priv->phy_interface = PHY_INTERFACE_MODE_NA;
+               if (!strcasecmp(phy_mode_str, "internal"))
+                       priv->internal_phy = true;
+       }
 
        return 0;
 }