#define NL_FOLLOWING_PACKET_HEADER_SIZE    1
 
 struct nl_first_packet_header {
-#if defined(__BIG_ENDIAN_BITFIELD)
-       unsigned char packet_rank:2;
-       unsigned char address:3;
-       unsigned char protocol:3;
-#else
        unsigned char protocol:3;
        unsigned char address:3;
        unsigned char packet_rank:2;
-#endif
        unsigned char length_lsb;
        unsigned char length_msb;
 };
 
 struct nl_packet_header {
-#if defined(__BIG_ENDIAN_BITFIELD)
-       unsigned char packet_rank:2;
-       unsigned char address:3;
-       unsigned char protocol:3;
-#else
        unsigned char protocol:3;
        unsigned char address:3;
        unsigned char packet_rank:2;
-#endif
 };
 
 /* Value of 'packet_rank' above */
                        length < DUMP_MAX_BYTES ? length : DUMP_MAX_BYTES);
 }
 
-static int do_send_fragment(struct ipw_hardware *hw, const unsigned char *data,
+static void swap_packet_bitfield_to_le(unsigned char *data)
+{
+#ifdef __BIG_ENDIAN_BITFIELD
+       unsigned char tmp = *data, ret = 0;
+
+       /*
+        * transform bits from aa.bbb.ccc to ccc.bbb.aa
+        */
+       ret |= tmp & 0xc0 >> 6;
+       ret |= tmp & 0x38 >> 1;
+       ret |= tmp & 0x07 << 5;
+       *data = ret & 0xff;
+#endif
+}
+
+static void swap_packet_bitfield_from_le(unsigned char *data)
+{
+#ifdef __BIG_ENDIAN_BITFIELD
+       unsigned char tmp = *data, ret = 0;
+
+       /*
+        * transform bits from ccc.bbb.aa to aa.bbb.ccc
+        */
+       ret |= tmp & 0xe0 >> 5;
+       ret |= tmp & 0x1c << 1;
+       ret |= tmp & 0x03 << 6;
+       *data = ret & 0xff;
+#endif
+}
+
+static int do_send_fragment(struct ipw_hardware *hw, unsigned char *data,
                            unsigned length)
 {
        unsigned i;
        spin_lock_irqsave(&hw->lock, flags);
 
        hw->tx_ready = 0;
+       swap_packet_bitfield_to_le(data);
 
        if (hw->hw_version == HW_VERSION_1) {
                outw((unsigned short) length, hw->base_port + IODWR);
        if (data_left < fragment_data_len)
                fragment_data_len = data_left;
 
+       /*
+        * hdr_first is now in machine bitfield order, which will be swapped
+        * to le just before it goes to hw
+        */
        pkt.hdr_first.protocol = packet->protocol;
        pkt.hdr_first.address = packet->dest_addr;
        pkt.hdr_first.packet_rank = 0;
 
        acknowledge_data_read(hw);
 
+       swap_packet_bitfield_from_le(pkt);
+
        if (ipwireless_debug)
                dump_data_bytes("recv", pkt, len);