diff --git a/src/core.cc b/src/core.cc
index 1b576072..960d3fdd 100644
--- a/src/core.cc
+++ b/src/core.cc
@@ -781,10 +781,12 @@ struct text_object *construct_text_object(char *s, const char *arg, long line,
   END OBJ(conky_build_date, nullptr) obj_be_plain_text(obj, BUILD_DATE);
   END OBJ(conky_build_arch, nullptr) obj_be_plain_text(obj, BUILD_ARCH);
   END OBJ(downspeed, &update_net_stats)
-      parse_net_stat_arg(obj, arg, free_at_crash);
+      update_gateway_info();
+  parse_net_stat_arg(obj, arg, free_at_crash);
   obj->callbacks.print = &print_downspeed;
   END OBJ(downspeedf, &update_net_stats)
-      parse_net_stat_arg(obj, arg, free_at_crash);
+      update_gateway_info();
+  parse_net_stat_arg(obj, arg, free_at_crash);
   obj->callbacks.print = &print_downspeedf;
 #ifdef BUILD_X11
   END OBJ(downspeedgraph, &update_net_stats)
@@ -1405,10 +1407,12 @@ struct text_object *construct_text_object(char *s, const char *arg, long line,
   END OBJ(alignc, nullptr) obj->data.l = arg != nullptr ? atoi(arg) : 0;
   obj->callbacks.print = &new_alignc;
   END OBJ(upspeed, &update_net_stats)
-      parse_net_stat_arg(obj, arg, free_at_crash);
+      update_gateway_info();
+  parse_net_stat_arg(obj, arg, free_at_crash);
   obj->callbacks.print = &print_upspeed;
   END OBJ(upspeedf, &update_net_stats)
-      parse_net_stat_arg(obj, arg, free_at_crash);
+      update_gateway_info();
+  parse_net_stat_arg(obj, arg, free_at_crash);
   obj->callbacks.print = &print_upspeedf;
 #ifdef BUILD_X11
   END OBJ(upspeedgraph, &update_net_stats)
diff --git a/src/linux.cc b/src/linux.cc
index 6e549698..c0ef9d9e 100644
--- a/src/linux.cc
+++ b/src/linux.cc
@@ -94,6 +94,8 @@ struct sysfs {
   float factor, offset;
 };
 
+char e_iface[50];
+
 #define SHORTSTAT_TEMPL "%*s %llu %llu %llu"
 #define LONGSTAT_TEMPL "%*s %llu %llu %llu "
 
@@ -314,6 +316,7 @@ int update_gateway_info(void) {
     }
     if (!(dest || mask) && ((flags & RTF_GATEWAY) || !gate)) {
       gw_info.count++;
+      snprintf(e_iface, 49, "%s", iface);
       SAVE_SET_STRING(gw_info.iface, iface)
       ina.s_addr = gate;
       SAVE_SET_STRING(gw_info.ip, inet_ntoa(ina))
diff --git a/src/linux.h b/src/linux.h
index 76c9364a..95ad1fd5 100644
--- a/src/linux.h
+++ b/src/linux.h
@@ -55,4 +55,6 @@ int update_stat(void);
 void print_distribution(struct text_object *, char *, int);
 
 void determine_longstat_file(void);
+
+extern char e_iface[50];
 #endif /* _LINUX_H */
diff --git a/src/net_stat.cc b/src/net_stat.cc
index a0cc1dca..d1cd66b0 100644
--- a/src/net_stat.cc
+++ b/src/net_stat.cc
@@ -48,6 +48,12 @@
 #define SOCK_CLOEXEC O_CLOEXEC
 #endif /* SOCK_CLOEXEC */
 
+#if defined(__linux__)
+#include "linux.h"
+#else
+char e_iface[50] = "empty";
+#endif /* __linux__ */
+
 /* network interface stuff */
 
 enum if_up_strictness_ { IFUP_UP, IFUP_LINK, IFUP_ADDR };
@@ -117,6 +123,11 @@ void parse_net_stat_arg(struct text_object *obj, const char *arg,
 
   if (arg == nullptr) { arg = DEFAULTNETDEV; }
 
+  if (0 == (strcmp("$gw_iface", arg)) ||
+      0 == (strcmp("${gw_iface}", arg))) {
+    arg = e_iface;
+  }
+
   while (sscanf(arg + i, " %20s", nextarg) == 1) {
     if (strcmp(nextarg, "-n") == 0 || strcmp(nextarg, "--netmask") == 0) {
       shownetmask = true;