diff --git a/makefile b/makefile
index e05674ae7ab..945d4ba73be 100644
--- a/makefile
+++ b/makefile
@@ -302,6 +302,10 @@ endif
 endif
 PARAMS += --USE_QT=$(USE_QT)
 
+ifdef DONT_USE_NETWORK
+PARAMS += --DONT_USE_NETWORK='$(DONT_USE_NETWORK)'
+endif
+
 ifdef NO_OPENGL
 PARAMS += --NO_OPENGL='$(NO_OPENGL)'
 endif
diff --git a/scripts/genie.lua b/scripts/genie.lua
index 11fa2fed3a5..6c69cdc8b20 100644
--- a/scripts/genie.lua
+++ b/scripts/genie.lua
@@ -189,7 +189,12 @@ newoption {
 		{ "0",   "Disabled" 	},
 		{ "1",   "Enabled"      },
 	}
-} 
+}
+
+newoption {
+	trigger = "DONT_USE_NETWORK",
+	description = "Disable network access",
+}
 
 local os_version = str_to_version(_OPTIONS["os_version"])
 
diff --git a/scripts/src/osd/sdl.lua b/scripts/src/osd/sdl.lua
index 1c8935c8fec..194558e38e2 100644
--- a/scripts/src/osd/sdl.lua
+++ b/scripts/src/osd/sdl.lua
@@ -265,27 +265,33 @@ if not _OPTIONS["MACOSX_USE_LIBSDL"] then
 end
 
 
-BASE_TARGETOS = "unix"
-SDLOS_TARGETOS = "unix"
+BASE_TARGETOS       = "unix"
+SDLOS_TARGETOS      = "unix"
 SYNC_IMPLEMENTATION = "tc"
-if _OPTIONS["targetos"]=="openbsd" then
+SDL_NETWORK         = ""
+if _OPTIONS["targetos"]=="linux" then
+	SDL_NETWORK         = "taptun"
+elseif _OPTIONS["targetos"]=="openbsd" then
 	SYNC_IMPLEMENTATION = "ntc"
 elseif _OPTIONS["targetos"]=="netbsd" then
 	SYNC_IMPLEMENTATION = "ntc"
+	SDL_NETWORK         = "pcap"
 elseif _OPTIONS["targetos"]=="haiku" then
 	SYNC_IMPLEMENTATION = "ntc"
 elseif _OPTIONS["targetos"]=="emscripten" then
 	SYNC_IMPLEMENTATION = "mini"
 elseif _OPTIONS["targetos"]=="windows" then
-	BASE_TARGETOS = "win32"
-	SDLOS_TARGETOS = "win32"
+	BASE_TARGETOS       = "win32"
+	SDLOS_TARGETOS      = "win32"
 	SYNC_IMPLEMENTATION = "windows"
+	SDL_NETWORK         = "pcap"
 elseif _OPTIONS["targetos"]=="macosx" then
-	SDLOS_TARGETOS = "macosx"
+	SDLOS_TARGETOS      = "macosx"
 	SYNC_IMPLEMENTATION = "ntc"
+	SDL_NETWORK         = "pcap"
 elseif _OPTIONS["targetos"]=="os2" then
-	BASE_TARGETOS = "os2"
-	SDLOS_TARGETOS = "os2"
+	BASE_TARGETOS       = "os2"
+	SDLOS_TARGETOS      = "os2"
 	SYNC_IMPLEMENTATION = "os2"
 end
 
diff --git a/scripts/src/osd/sdl_cfg.lua b/scripts/src/osd/sdl_cfg.lua
index d97adede39f..2c7cd075f08 100644
--- a/scripts/src/osd/sdl_cfg.lua
+++ b/scripts/src/osd/sdl_cfg.lua
@@ -2,6 +2,12 @@ forcedincludes {
 	MAME_DIR .. "src/osd/sdl/sdlprefix.h"
 }
 
+if SDL_NETWORK~="" and not _OPTIONS["DONT_USE_NETWORK"] then
+	defines {
+		"SDLMAME_NET_" .. string.upper(SDL_NETWORK),
+	}
+end
+
 if _OPTIONS["NO_OPENGL"]=="1" then
 	defines {
 		"USE_OPENGL=0",
@@ -119,7 +125,6 @@ if _OPTIONS["targetos"]=="windows" then
 		"UNICODE",
 		"_UNICODE",
 		"USE_QTDEBUG=" .. USE_QT,
-		"SDLMAME_NET_PCAP",
 		"main=utf8_main",
 	}
 	configuration { "mingw*" }
@@ -138,7 +143,6 @@ if _OPTIONS["targetos"]=="windows" then
 elseif _OPTIONS["targetos"]=="linux" then
 	defines {
 		"USE_QTDEBUG=" .. USE_QT,
-		"SDLMAME_NET_TAPTUN",
 	}
 	buildoptions {
 		'$(shell pkg-config --cflags QtGui)',
@@ -148,7 +152,6 @@ elseif _OPTIONS["targetos"]=="macosx" then
 		"SDLMAME_MACOSX",
 		"SDLMAME_DARWIN",
 		"USE_QTDEBUG=0",
-		"SDLMAME_NET_PCAP",
 	}
 elseif _OPTIONS["targetos"]=="freebsd" then
 	buildoptions {
diff --git a/scripts/src/osd/windows_cfg.lua b/scripts/src/osd/windows_cfg.lua
index de62afff65e..824d616aac7 100644
--- a/scripts/src/osd/windows_cfg.lua
+++ b/scripts/src/osd/windows_cfg.lua
@@ -7,7 +7,12 @@ defines {
 	"USE_OPENGL=1",
 	"USE_DISPATCH_GL=1",
 	"DIRECTINPUT_VERSION=0x0800",
-	"SDLMAME_NET_PCAP",
 	"main=utf8_main",
 	"_WIN32_WINNT=0x0501",
 }
+
+if not _OPTIONS["DONT_USE_NETWORK"] then
+	defines {
+		"SDLMAME_NET_PCAP",
+	}
+end