diff --git a/net/bridge.go b/net/bridge.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..07d1f6cb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/net/bridge.go
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+package net
+
+import (
+	"github.com/vishvananda/netlink"
+)
+
+type BridgeType int
+
+const (
+	WeaveBridgeName = "weave"
+	DatapathName    = "datapath"
+
+	None BridgeType = iota
+	Bridge
+	Fastdp
+	BridgedFastdp
+	Inconsistent
+)
+
+func DetectBridgeType(weaveBridgeName, datapathName string) BridgeType {
+	bridge, _ := netlink.LinkByName(weaveBridgeName)
+	datapath, _ := netlink.LinkByName(datapathName)
+
+	switch {
+	case bridge == nil && datapath == nil:
+		return None
+	case isBridge(bridge) && datapath == nil:
+		return Bridge
+	case isDatapath(bridge) && datapath == nil:
+		return Fastdp
+	case isDatapath(datapath) && isBridge(bridge):
+		return BridgedFastdp
+	default:
+		return Inconsistent
+	}
+}
+
+func isBridge(link netlink.Link) bool {
+	_, isBridge := link.(*netlink.Bridge)
+	return isBridge
+}
+
+func isDatapath(link netlink.Link) bool {
+	switch link.(type) {
+	case *netlink.GenericLink:
+		return link.Type() == "openvswitch"
+	case *netlink.Device:
+		// Assume it's our openvswitch device, and the kernel has not been updated to report the kind.
+		return true
+	default:
+		return false
+	}
+}
diff --git a/net/veth.go b/net/veth.go
index ea3e30d4..72dfd558 100644
--- a/net/veth.go
+++ b/net/veth.go
@@ -13,13 +13,13 @@ import (
 
 // create and attach a veth to the Weave bridge
 func CreateAndAttachVeth(name, peerName, bridgeName string, mtu int, init func(peer netlink.Link) error) (*netlink.Veth, error) {
-	maybeBridge, err := netlink.LinkByName(bridgeName)
+	bridge, err := netlink.LinkByName(bridgeName)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf(`bridge "%s" not present; did you launch weave?`, bridgeName)
 	}
 
 	if mtu == 0 {
-		mtu = maybeBridge.Attrs().MTU
+		mtu = bridge.Attrs().MTU
 	}
 	veth := &netlink.Veth{
 		LinkAttrs: netlink.LinkAttrs{
@@ -36,25 +36,22 @@ func CreateAndAttachVeth(name, peerName, bridgeName string, mtu int, init func(p
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf(format, a...)
 	}
 
-	switch maybeBridge.(type) {
-	case *netlink.Bridge:
-		if err := netlink.LinkSetMasterByIndex(veth, maybeBridge.Attrs().Index); err != nil {
+	switch bridgeType := DetectBridgeType(bridgeName, DatapathName); bridgeType {
+	case Bridge, BridgedFastdp:
+		if err := netlink.LinkSetMasterByIndex(veth, bridge.Attrs().Index); err != nil {
 			return cleanup(`unable to set master of %s: %s`, name, err)
 		}
-	case *netlink.GenericLink:
-		if maybeBridge.Type() != "openvswitch" {
-			return cleanup(`device "%s" is of type "%s"`, bridgeName, maybeBridge.Type())
+		if bridgeType == Bridge {
+			if err := EthtoolTXOff(peerName); err != nil {
+				return cleanup(`unable to set tx off on %q: %s`, peerName, err)
+			}
 		}
-		if err := odp.AddDatapathInterface(bridgeName, name); err != nil {
-			return cleanup(`failed to attach %s to device "%s": %s`, name, bridgeName, err)
-		}
-	case *netlink.Device:
-		// Assume it's our openvswitch device, and the kernel has not been updated to report the kind.
+	case Fastdp:
 		if err := odp.AddDatapathInterface(bridgeName, name); err != nil {
 			return cleanup(`failed to attach %s to device "%s": %s`, name, bridgeName, err)
 		}
 	default:
-		return cleanup(`device "%s" is not a bridge`, bridgeName)
+		return cleanup(`invalid bridge configuration`)
 	}
 
 	if init != nil {
@@ -121,7 +118,6 @@ func AttachContainer(ns netns.NsHandle, id, ifName, bridgeName string, mtu int,
 		}
 		name, peerName := vethPrefix+"pl"+id, vethPrefix+"pg"+id
 		_, err := CreateAndAttachVeth(name, peerName, bridgeName, mtu, func(veth netlink.Link) error {
-			EthtoolTXOff(peerName) // TODO: do we want to do this under fastdp?
 			if err := netlink.LinkSetNsFd(veth, int(ns)); err != nil {
 				return fmt.Errorf("failed to move veth to container netns: %s", err)
 			}
diff --git a/plugin/net/cni.go b/plugin/net/cni.go
index efe247f0..f43ef967 100644
--- a/plugin/net/cni.go
+++ b/plugin/net/cni.go
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ func NewCNIPlugin(weave *weaveapi.Client) *CNIPlugin {
 
 func loadNetConf(bytes []byte) (*NetConf, error) {
 	n := &NetConf{
-		BrName: "weave",
+		BrName: weavenet.WeaveBridgeName,
 	}
 	if err := json.Unmarshal(bytes, n); err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to load netconf: %v", err)
diff --git a/plugin/net/driver.go b/plugin/net/driver.go
index 08f90a73..966fe98b 100644
--- a/plugin/net/driver.go
+++ b/plugin/net/driver.go
@@ -15,10 +15,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/weaveworks/weave/plugin/skel"
 )
 
-const (
-	WeaveBridge = "weave"
-)
-
 type driver struct {
 	scope            string
 	noMulticastRoute bool
@@ -101,7 +97,7 @@ func (driver *driver) JoinEndpoint(j *api.JoinRequest) (*api.JoinResponse, error
 	driver.logReq("JoinEndpoint", j, fmt.Sprintf("%s:%s to %s", j.NetworkID, j.EndpointID, j.SandboxKey))
 
 	name, peerName := vethPair(j.EndpointID)
-	if _, err := weavenet.CreateAndAttachVeth(name, peerName, WeaveBridge, 0, nil); err != nil {
+	if _, err := weavenet.CreateAndAttachVeth(name, peerName, weavenet.WeaveBridgeName, 0, nil); err != nil {
 		return nil, driver.error("JoinEndpoint", "%s", err)
 	}