diff --git a/boards/samr21-xpro/Makefile.dep b/boards/samr21-xpro/Makefile.dep
index ab5c150ef0981ac360a26cd1824703a4b7b32cfa..2521ad44178d7ba9d87a42c80eebb967bb035666 100644
--- a/boards/samr21-xpro/Makefile.dep
+++ b/boards/samr21-xpro/Makefile.dep
@@ -4,3 +4,8 @@ ifneq (,$(filter defaulttransceiver,$(USEMODULE)))
         USEMODULE += transceiver
     endif
 endif
+
+ifneq (,$(filter ng_netif,$(USEMODULE)))
+  USEMODULE += ng_at86rf233
+  USEMODULE += ng_nomac
+endif
diff --git a/boards/samr21-xpro/auto_init_ng_netif/Makefile b/boards/samr21-xpro/auto_init_ng_netif/Makefile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..48422e909a47d7cd428d10fa73825060ccc8d8c2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/boards/samr21-xpro/auto_init_ng_netif/Makefile
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+include $(RIOTBASE)/Makefile.base
diff --git a/boards/samr21-xpro/auto_init_ng_netif/netif_board.c b/boards/samr21-xpro/auto_init_ng_netif/netif_board.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..4bcb41e7fb54e326898748e5a43a75577f450591
--- /dev/null
+++ b/boards/samr21-xpro/auto_init_ng_netif/netif_board.c
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (C) 2015 Freie Universität Berlin
+ *
+ * This file is subject to the terms and conditions of the GNU Lesser
+ * General Public License v2.1. See the file LICENSE in the top level
+ * directory for more details.
+ */
+
+/**
+ * @ingroup     boards_samr21-xpro
+ * @{
+ *
+ * @file
+ * @brief       Network device initialization code
+ *
+ * @author      Hauke Petersen <hauke.petersen@fu-berlin.de>
+ *
+ * @}
+ */
+
+#include <stdio.h>
+
+#include "board.h"
+#include "auto_init.h"
+#include "ng_at86rf2xx.h"
+#include "net/ng_nomac.h"
+#include "net/ng_netbase.h"
+
+#define ENABLE_DEBUG (0)
+#include "debug.h"
+
+/**
+ * @brief   Define stack parameters for the MAC layer thread
+ * @{
+ */
+#define MAC_STACKSIZE           (KERNEL_CONF_STACKSIZE_DEFAULT)
+#define MAC_PRIO                (PRIORITY_MAIN - 3)
+/** @} */
+
+/**
+ * @brief   Device descriptor for the Atmel radio
+ */
+static ng_at86rf2xx_t radio;
+
+/**
+ * @brief   Stack for the MAC layer thread
+ */
+static char nomac_stack[MAC_STACKSIZE];
+
+void auto_init_ng_netif(void)
+{
+    /* initialize the radio */
+    DEBUG("Initializing AT86RF233 radio\n");
+    ng_at86rf2xx_init(&radio, NG_AT86RF233_SPI, NG_AT86RF233_SPI_CLK,
+                      NG_AT86RF233_CS, NG_AT86RF233_INT,
+                      NG_AT86RF233_SLEEP, NG_AT86RF233_RESET);
+    /* starting NOMAC */
+    DEBUG("Starting the MAC layer\n");
+    ng_nomac_init(nomac_stack, sizeof(nomac_stack), MAC_PRIO, "at86rf233",
+                  (ng_netdev_t *)(&radio));
+    DEBUG("Auto init of on-board radio complete\n");
+}
diff --git a/boards/samr21-xpro/include/board.h b/boards/samr21-xpro/include/board.h
index cfaa4a75adc8ae5505671c00d6eafd8dd8febf48..fa073b140fb076233f96ff6a957e47b46e3062bf 100644
--- a/boards/samr21-xpro/include/board.h
+++ b/boards/samr21-xpro/include/board.h
@@ -37,6 +37,18 @@ extern "C" {
  */
 #define HW_TIMER            TIMER_1
 
+/**
+* @name NG_AT86RF233 configuration
+* @{
+*/
+#define NG_AT86RF233_SPI        (SPI_0)
+#define NG_AT86RF233_CS         (GPIO_4)
+#define NG_AT86RF233_INT        (GPIO_5)
+#define NG_AT86RF233_RESET      (GPIO_6)
+#define NG_AT86RF233_SLEEP      (GPIO_7)
+#define NG_AT86RF233_SPI_CLK    (SPI_SPEED_1MHZ)
+/** @}*/
+
 /**
 * @name AT86RF231 config
 * @{
@@ -48,7 +60,8 @@ extern "C" {
 #define AT86RF231_SLEEP    GPIO_7
 
 #define AT86RF231_SPI_SPEED SPI_SPEED_1MHZ
-/** @}*/
+/** @} */
+
 /**
  * @name Define UART device and baudrate for stdio
  * @{