diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index e45856c367..c160af9732 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -100,11 +100,11 @@ test-network: need-chutney-path $(TESTING_TOR_BINARY) src/tools/tor-gencert
 # only run IPv6 tests if we can ping6 ::1 (localhost)
 # some IPv6 tests will fail without an IPv6 DNS server (see #16971 and #17011)
 # only run mixed tests if we have a tor-stable binary
-# see #17015 for autodetection of different tor versions
+# Try both the BSD and the Linux ping6 syntax, because they're incompatible
 test-network-all: need-chutney-path test-driver $(TESTING_TOR_BINARY) src/tools/tor-gencert
 	mkdir -p $(TEST_NETWORK_ALL_LOG_DIR)
 	@flavors="$(TEST_CHUTNEY_FLAVORS)"; \
-	if ping6 -q -c 1 -o ::1 >/dev/null 2>&1; then \
+	if ping6 -q -c 1 -o ::1 >/dev/null 2>&1 || ping6 -q -c 1 -W 1 ::1 >/dev/null 2>&1; then \
 		echo "ping6 ::1 succeeded, running IPv6 flavors: $(TEST_CHUTNEY_FLAVORS_IPV6)."; \
 		flavors="$$flavors $(TEST_CHUTNEY_FLAVORS_IPV6)"; \
 	else \
diff --git a/changes/bug19905 b/changes/bug19905
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b689740594
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changes/bug19905
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+  o Minor bugfixes (IPv6, testing):
+    - Check for IPv6 correctly on Linux when running test networks.
+      Fixes bug 19905; bugfix on 0.2.7.3-rc; patch by teor.