diff --git a/CHANGELOG b/CHANGELOG
index 04ea9a90..09cbd513 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG
+++ b/CHANGELOG
@@ -83,6 +83,10 @@ HISTORY
 
   ++ Bugfixes:
 
+  2009-04-15 Simon Goldschmidt
+  * ip.c, ip6.c, tcp_out.c, ip.h: patch #6808: Add a utility function
+    ip_hinted_output() (for smaller code mainly)
+
   2009-04-15 Simon Goldschmidt
   * inet.c: patch #6765: Supporting new line characters in inet_aton()
 
diff --git a/src/core/ipv4/ip.c b/src/core/ipv4/ip.c
index f74f423e..93258f29 100644
--- a/src/core/ipv4/ip.c
+++ b/src/core/ipv4/ip.c
@@ -570,12 +570,54 @@ ip_output(struct pbuf *p, struct ip_addr *src, struct ip_addr *dest,
   struct netif *netif;
 
   if ((netif = ip_route(dest)) == NULL) {
+    LWIP_DEBUGF(IP_DEBUG, ("ip_output: No route to 0x%"X32_F"\n", dest->addr));
+    IP_STATS_INC(ip.rterr);
     return ERR_RTE;
   }
 
   return ip_output_if(p, src, dest, ttl, tos, proto, netif);
 }
 
+#if LWIP_NETIF_HWADDRHINT
+/** Like ip_output, but takes and addr_hint pointer that is passed on to netif->addr_hint
+ *  before calling ip_output_if.
+ *
+ * @param p the packet to send (p->payload points to the data, e.g. next
+            protocol header; if dest == IP_HDRINCL, p already includes an IP
+            header and p->payload points to that IP header)
+ * @param src the source IP address to send from (if src == IP_ADDR_ANY, the
+ *         IP  address of the netif used to send is used as source address)
+ * @param dest the destination IP address to send the packet to
+ * @param ttl the TTL value to be set in the IP header
+ * @param tos the TOS value to be set in the IP header
+ * @param proto the PROTOCOL to be set in the IP header
+ * @param addr_hint address hint pointer set to netif->addr_hint before
+ *        calling ip_output_if()
+ *
+ * @return ERR_RTE if no route is found
+ *         see ip_output_if() for more return values
+ */
+err_t
+ip_output_hinted(struct pbuf *p, struct ip_addr *src, struct ip_addr *dest,
+          u8_t ttl, u8_t tos, u8_t proto, u8_t *addr_hint)
+{
+  struct netif *netif;
+  err_t err;
+
+  if ((netif = ip_route(dest)) == NULL) {
+    LWIP_DEBUGF(IP_DEBUG, ("ip_output: No route to 0x%"X32_F"\n", dest->addr));
+    IP_STATS_INC(ip.rterr);
+    return ERR_RTE;
+  }
+
+  netif->addr_hint = addr_hint;
+  err = ip_output_if(p, src, dest, ttl, tos, proto, netif);
+  netif->addr_hint = NULL;
+
+  return err;
+}
+#endif /* LWIP_NETIF_HWADDRHINT*/
+
 #if IP_DEBUG
 /* Print an IP header by using LWIP_DEBUGF
  * @param p an IP packet, p->payload pointing to the IP header
diff --git a/src/core/ipv6/ip6.c b/src/core/ipv6/ip6.c
index ce5b501f..7e434200 100644
--- a/src/core/ipv6/ip6.c
+++ b/src/core/ipv6/ip6.c
@@ -327,6 +327,28 @@ ip_output(struct pbuf *p, struct ip_addr *src, struct ip_addr *dest,
   return ip_output_if (p, src, dest, ttl, proto, netif);
 }
 
+#if LWIP_NETIF_HWADDRHINT
+err_t
+ip_output_hinted(struct pbuf *p, struct ip_addr *src, struct ip_addr *dest,
+          u8_t ttl, u8_t tos, u8_t proto, u8_t *addr_hint)
+{
+  struct netif *netif;
+  err_t err;
+
+  if ((netif = ip_route(dest)) == NULL) {
+    LWIP_DEBUGF(IP_DEBUG, ("ip_output: No route to 0x%"X32_F"\n", dest->addr));
+    IP_STATS_INC(ip.rterr);
+    return ERR_RTE;
+  }
+
+  netif->addr_hint = addr_hint;
+  err = ip_output_if(p, src, dest, ttl, tos, proto, netif);
+  netif->addr_hint = NULL;
+
+  return err;
+}
+#endif /* LWIP_NETIF_HWADDRHINT*/
+
 #if IP_DEBUG
 void
 ip_debug_print(struct pbuf *p)
diff --git a/src/core/tcp_out.c b/src/core/tcp_out.c
index 653ce4ae..a7aec309 100644
--- a/src/core/tcp_out.c
+++ b/src/core/tcp_out.c
@@ -501,16 +501,8 @@ tcp_output(struct tcp_pcb *pcb)
           IP_PROTO_TCP, p->tot_len);
 #endif
 #if LWIP_NETIF_HWADDRHINT
-    {
-      struct netif *netif;
-      netif = ip_route(&pcb->remote_ip);
-      if(netif != NULL){
-        netif->addr_hint = &(pcb->addr_hint);
-        ip_output_if(p, &(pcb->local_ip), &(pcb->remote_ip), pcb->ttl,
-                     pcb->tos, IP_PROTO_TCP, netif);
-        netif->addr_hint = NULL;
-      }
-    }
+    ip_output_hinted(p, &(pcb->local_ip), &(pcb->remote_ip), pcb->ttl, pcb->tos,
+        IP_PROTO_TCP, &(pcb->addr_hint));
 #else /* LWIP_NETIF_HWADDRHINT*/
     ip_output(p, &(pcb->local_ip), &(pcb->remote_ip), pcb->ttl, pcb->tos,
         IP_PROTO_TCP);
@@ -700,16 +692,8 @@ tcp_output_segment(struct tcp_seg *seg, struct tcp_pcb *pcb)
   TCP_STATS_INC(tcp.xmit);
 
 #if LWIP_NETIF_HWADDRHINT
-  {
-    struct netif *netif;
-    netif = ip_route(&pcb->remote_ip);
-    if(netif != NULL){
-      netif->addr_hint = &(pcb->addr_hint);
-      ip_output_if(seg->p, &(pcb->local_ip), &(pcb->remote_ip), pcb->ttl,
-                   pcb->tos, IP_PROTO_TCP, netif);
-      netif->addr_hint = NULL;
-    }
-  }
+  ip_output_hinted(seg->p, &(pcb->local_ip), &(pcb->remote_ip), pcb->ttl, pcb->tos,
+      IP_PROTO_TCP, &(pcb->addr_hint));
 #else /* LWIP_NETIF_HWADDRHINT*/
   ip_output(seg->p, &(pcb->local_ip), &(pcb->remote_ip), pcb->ttl, pcb->tos,
       IP_PROTO_TCP);
@@ -887,16 +871,8 @@ tcp_keepalive(struct tcp_pcb *pcb)
 
   /* Send output to IP */
 #if LWIP_NETIF_HWADDRHINT
-  {
-    struct netif *netif;
-    netif = ip_route(&pcb->remote_ip);
-    if(netif != NULL){
-      netif->addr_hint = &(pcb->addr_hint);
-      ip_output_if(p, &(pcb->local_ip), &(pcb->remote_ip), pcb->ttl,
-                   0, IP_PROTO_TCP, netif);
-      netif->addr_hint = NULL;
-    }
-  }
+  ip_output_hinted(p, &pcb->local_ip, &pcb->remote_ip, pcb->ttl, 0, IP_PROTO_TCP,
+    &(pcb->addr_hint));
 #else /* LWIP_NETIF_HWADDRHINT*/
   ip_output(p, &pcb->local_ip, &pcb->remote_ip, pcb->ttl, 0, IP_PROTO_TCP);
 #endif /* LWIP_NETIF_HWADDRHINT*/
@@ -966,16 +942,8 @@ tcp_zero_window_probe(struct tcp_pcb *pcb)
 
   /* Send output to IP */
 #if LWIP_NETIF_HWADDRHINT
-  {
-    struct netif *netif;
-    netif = ip_route(&pcb->remote_ip);
-    if(netif != NULL){
-      netif->addr_hint = &(pcb->addr_hint);
-      ip_output_if(p, &(pcb->local_ip), &(pcb->remote_ip), pcb->ttl,
-                   0, IP_PROTO_TCP, netif);
-      netif->addr_hint = NULL;
-    }
-  }
+  ip_output_hinted(p, &pcb->local_ip, &pcb->remote_ip, pcb->ttl, 0, IP_PROTO_TCP,
+    &(pcb->addr_hint));
 #else /* LWIP_NETIF_HWADDRHINT*/
   ip_output(p, &pcb->local_ip, &pcb->remote_ip, pcb->ttl, 0, IP_PROTO_TCP);
 #endif /* LWIP_NETIF_HWADDRHINT*/
diff --git a/src/core/udp.c b/src/core/udp.c
index 0d139b53..25364625 100644
--- a/src/core/udp.c
+++ b/src/core/udp.c
@@ -496,7 +496,7 @@ udp_sendto_if(struct udp_pcb *pcb, struct pbuf *p,
 #if LWIP_NETIF_HWADDRHINT
     netif->addr_hint = &(pcb->addr_hint);
 #endif /* LWIP_NETIF_HWADDRHINT*/
-    err = ip_output_if(q, src_ip, dst_ip, pcb->ttl, pcb->tos, IP_PROTO_UDPLITE, netif);    
+    err = ip_output_if(q, src_ip, dst_ip, pcb->ttl, pcb->tos, IP_PROTO_UDPLITE, netif);
 #if LWIP_NETIF_HWADDRHINT
     netif->addr_hint = NULL;
 #endif /* LWIP_NETIF_HWADDRHINT*/
@@ -519,7 +519,7 @@ udp_sendto_if(struct udp_pcb *pcb, struct pbuf *p,
 #if LWIP_NETIF_HWADDRHINT
     netif->addr_hint = &(pcb->addr_hint);
 #endif /* LWIP_NETIF_HWADDRHINT*/
-    err = ip_output_if(q, src_ip, dst_ip, pcb->ttl, pcb->tos, IP_PROTO_UDP, netif);    
+    err = ip_output_if(q, src_ip, dst_ip, pcb->ttl, pcb->tos, IP_PROTO_UDP, netif);
 #if LWIP_NETIF_HWADDRHINT
     netif->addr_hint = NULL;
 #endif /* LWIP_NETIF_HWADDRHINT*/
diff --git a/src/include/ipv4/lwip/ip.h b/src/include/ipv4/lwip/ip.h
index 3b760f00..36fd5c9d 100644
--- a/src/include/ipv4/lwip/ip.h
+++ b/src/include/ipv4/lwip/ip.h
@@ -47,10 +47,14 @@ extern "C" {
 struct netif *ip_route(struct ip_addr *dest);
 err_t ip_input(struct pbuf *p, struct netif *inp);
 err_t ip_output(struct pbuf *p, struct ip_addr *src, struct ip_addr *dest,
-    u8_t ttl, u8_t tos, u8_t proto);
+       u8_t ttl, u8_t tos, u8_t proto);
 err_t ip_output_if(struct pbuf *p, struct ip_addr *src, struct ip_addr *dest,
        u8_t ttl, u8_t tos, u8_t proto,
        struct netif *netif);
+#if LWIP_NETIF_HWADDRHINT
+err_t ip_output_hinted(struct pbuf *p, struct ip_addr *src, struct ip_addr *dest,
+       u8_t ttl, u8_t tos, u8_t proto, u8_t *addr_hint);
+#endif /* LWIP_NETIF_HWADDRHINT */
 
 #define IP_HLEN 20