diff --git a/net/arp/arp_send.c b/net/arp/arp_send.c
index 1080cf0173b..803292a3385 100644
--- a/net/arp/arp_send.c
+++ b/net/arp/arp_send.c
@@ -148,6 +148,10 @@ static uint16_t arp_send_eventhandler(FAR struct net_driver_s *dev,
   return flags;
 }
 
+static void arp_send_async_finish(FAR struct net_driver_s *dev, int result)
+{
+}
+
 /****************************************************************************
  * Public Functions
  ****************************************************************************/
@@ -301,9 +305,7 @@ int arp_send(in_addr_t ipaddr)
    * sending the ARP request if it is not.
    */
 
-  ret = -ETIMEDOUT; /* Assume a timeout failure */
-
-  while (state.snd_retries < CONFIG_ARP_SEND_MAXTRIES)
+  do
     {
       /* Check if the address mapping is present in the ARP table.  This
        * is only really meaningful on the first time through the loop.
@@ -312,12 +314,21 @@ int arp_send(in_addr_t ipaddr)
        * issue.
        */
 
-      if (arp_find(ipaddr, NULL, dev) >= 0)
+      ret = arp_find(ipaddr, NULL, dev);
+      if (ret >= 0)
         {
           /* We have it!  Break out with success */
 
-          ret = OK;
-          break;
+          goto out;
+        }
+      else if (ret == -ENETUNREACH)
+        {
+          /* We have failed before, simply send an asynchronous ARP request
+           * to try to update the ARP table.
+           */
+
+          arp_send_async(ipaddr, NULL);
+          goto out;
         }
 
       /* Set up the ARP response wait BEFORE we send the ARP request */
@@ -377,7 +388,7 @@ int arp_send(in_addr_t ipaddr)
         {
           /* Break out if arp_wait() fails */
 
-          break;
+          goto out;
         }
 
 timeout:
@@ -389,7 +400,15 @@ timeout:
            ip4_addr1(ipaddr), ip4_addr2(ipaddr),
            ip4_addr3(ipaddr), ip4_addr4(ipaddr));
     }
+  while (state.snd_retries < CONFIG_ARP_SEND_MAXTRIES);
 
+  /* MAC address marked with all zeros, therefore, we can quickly execute
+   * asynchronous ARP request next time.
+   */
+
+  arp_update(dev, ipaddr, NULL);
+
+out:
   nxsem_destroy(&state.snd_sem);
   arp_callback_free(dev, state.snd_cb);
 errout_with_lock:
@@ -464,7 +483,7 @@ int arp_send_async(in_addr_t ipaddr, arp_send_finish_cb_t cb)
   state->snd_cb->flags = (ARP_POLL | NETDEV_DOWN);
   state->snd_cb->priv  = (FAR void *)state;
   state->snd_cb->event = arp_send_eventhandler;
-  state->finish_cb     = cb;
+  state->finish_cb     = cb ? cb : arp_send_async_finish;
 
   /* Notify the device driver that new TX data is available. */
 
diff --git a/net/arp/arp_table.c b/net/arp/arp_table.c
index 1e3b854e8f5..9e5a0a771e2 100644
--- a/net/arp/arp_table.c
+++ b/net/arp/arp_table.c
@@ -91,6 +91,13 @@ struct arp_table_info_s
 
 static struct arp_entry_s g_arptable[CONFIG_NET_ARPTAB_SIZE];
 
+static const struct ether_addr g_zero_ethaddr =
+{
+  {
+    0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00
+  }
+};
+
 /****************************************************************************
  * Private Functions
  ****************************************************************************/
@@ -308,6 +315,11 @@ int arp_update(FAR struct net_driver_s *dev, in_addr_t ipaddr,
         }
     }
 
+  if (ethaddr == NULL)
+    {
+      ethaddr = g_zero_ethaddr.ether_addr_octet;
+    }
+
   /* When overwite old entry, notify old entry RTM_DELNEIGH */
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_NETLINK_ROUTE
@@ -407,6 +419,16 @@ int arp_find(in_addr_t ipaddr, FAR uint8_t *ethaddr,
   tabptr = arp_lookup(ipaddr, dev);
   if (tabptr != NULL)
     {
+      /* Addresses that have failed to be searched will return a special
+       * error code so that the upper layer can return faster.
+       */
+
+      if (memcmp(&tabptr->at_ethaddr, &g_zero_ethaddr,
+                 sizeof(tabptr->at_ethaddr)) == 0)
+        {
+          return -ENETUNREACH;
+        }
+
       /* Yes.. return the Ethernet MAC address if the caller has provided a
        * non-NULL address in 'ethaddr'.
        */
@@ -416,8 +438,8 @@ int arp_find(in_addr_t ipaddr, FAR uint8_t *ethaddr,
           memcpy(ethaddr, &tabptr->at_ethaddr, ETHER_ADDR_LEN);
         }
 
-      /* Return success in any case meaning that a valid Ethernet MAC
-       * address mapping is available for the IP address.
+      /* Return success meaning that a valid Ethernet MAC address mapping
+       * is available for the IP address.
        */
 
       return OK;