diff --git a/collector/netdev_freebsd.go b/collector/netdev_freebsd.go
index 68a96bd3..d0d7be44 100644
--- a/collector/netdev_freebsd.go
+++ b/collector/netdev_freebsd.go
@@ -20,12 +20,9 @@ import (
 */
 import "C"
 
-const (
-	netDevSubsystem = "network"
-)
-
 type netDevCollector struct {
-	metrics map[string]*prometheus.CounterVec
+	subsystem   string
+	metricDescs map[string]*prometheus.Desc
 }
 
 func init() {
@@ -36,7 +33,8 @@ func init() {
 // Network device stats.
 func NewNetDevCollector() (Collector, error) {
 	return &netDevCollector{
-		metrics: map[string]*prometheus.CounterVec{},
+		subsystem:   "network",
+		metricDescs: map[string]*prometheus.Desc{},
 	}, nil
 }
 
@@ -45,39 +43,30 @@ func (c *netDevCollector) Update(ch chan<- prometheus.Metric) (err error) {
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("couldn't get netstats: %s", err)
 	}
-	for direction, devStats := range netDev {
-		for dev, stats := range devStats {
-			for t, value := range stats {
-				key := direction + "_" + t
-				if _, ok := c.metrics[key]; !ok {
-					c.metrics[key] = prometheus.NewCounterVec(
-						prometheus.CounterOpts{
-							Namespace: Namespace,
-							Subsystem: netDevSubsystem,
-							Name:      key,
-							Help:      fmt.Sprintf("%s %s from getifaddrs().", t, direction),
-						},
-						[]string{"device"},
-					)
-				}
-				v, err := strconv.ParseFloat(value, 64)
-				if err != nil {
-					return fmt.Errorf("invalid value %s in netstats: %s", value, err)
-				}
-				c.metrics[key].WithLabelValues(dev).Set(v)
+	for dev, devStats := range netDev {
+		for key, value := range devStats {
+			desc, ok := c.metricDescs[key]
+			if !ok {
+				desc = prometheus.NewDesc(
+					prometheus.BuildFQName(Namespace, c.subsystem, key),
+					fmt.Sprintf("%s from getifaddrs().", key),
+					[]string{"device"},
+					nil,
+				)
+				c.metricDescs[key] = desc
 			}
+			v, err := strconv.ParseFloat(value, 64)
+			if err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("invalid value %s in netstats: %s", value, err)
+			}
+			ch <- prometheus.MustNewConstMetric(desc, prometheus.GaugeValue, v, dev)
 		}
 	}
-	for _, m := range c.metrics {
-		m.Collect(ch)
-	}
-	return err
+	return nil
 }
 
-func getNetDevStats() (map[string]map[string]map[string]string, error) {
-	netDev := map[string]map[string]map[string]string{}
-	netDev["transmit"] = map[string]map[string]string{}
-	netDev["receive"] = map[string]map[string]string{}
+func getNetDevStats() (map[string]map[string]string, error) {
+	netDev := map[string]map[string]string{}
 
 	var ifap, ifa *C.struct_ifaddrs
 	if C.getifaddrs(&ifap) == -1 {
@@ -87,22 +76,20 @@ func getNetDevStats() (map[string]map[string]map[string]string, error) {
 
 	for ifa = ifap; ifa != nil; ifa = ifa.ifa_next {
 		if ifa.ifa_addr.sa_family == C.AF_LINK {
-			receive := map[string]string{}
-			transmit := map[string]string{}
+			devStats := map[string]string{}
 			data := (*C.struct_if_data)(ifa.ifa_data)
-			receive["packets"] = strconv.Itoa(int(data.ifi_ipackets))
-			transmit["packets"] = strconv.Itoa(int(data.ifi_opackets))
-			receive["errs"] = strconv.Itoa(int(data.ifi_ierrors))
-			transmit["errs"] = strconv.Itoa(int(data.ifi_oerrors))
-			receive["bytes"] = strconv.Itoa(int(data.ifi_ibytes))
-			transmit["bytes"] = strconv.Itoa(int(data.ifi_obytes))
-			receive["multicast"] = strconv.Itoa(int(data.ifi_imcasts))
-			transmit["multicast"] = strconv.Itoa(int(data.ifi_omcasts))
-			receive["drop"] = strconv.Itoa(int(data.ifi_iqdrops))
-			transmit["drop"] = strconv.Itoa(int(data.ifi_oqdrops))
 
-			netDev["receive"][C.GoString(ifa.ifa_name)] = receive
-			netDev["transmit"][C.GoString(ifa.ifa_name)] = transmit
+			devStats["receive_packets"] = strconv.Itoa(int(data.ifi_ipackets))
+			devStats["transmit_packets"] = strconv.Itoa(int(data.ifi_opackets))
+			devStats["receive_errs"] = strconv.Itoa(int(data.ifi_ierrors))
+			devStats["transmit_errs"] = strconv.Itoa(int(data.ifi_oerrors))
+			devStats["receive_bytes"] = strconv.Itoa(int(data.ifi_ibytes))
+			devStats["transmit_bytes"] = strconv.Itoa(int(data.ifi_obytes))
+			devStats["receive_multicast"] = strconv.Itoa(int(data.ifi_imcasts))
+			devStats["transmit_multicast"] = strconv.Itoa(int(data.ifi_omcasts))
+			devStats["receive_drop"] = strconv.Itoa(int(data.ifi_iqdrops))
+			devStats["transmit_drop"] = strconv.Itoa(int(data.ifi_oqdrops))
+			netDev[C.GoString(ifa.ifa_name)] = devStats
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/collector/netdev_linux.go b/collector/netdev_linux.go
index ee1de005..f82d50e1 100644
--- a/collector/netdev_linux.go
+++ b/collector/netdev_linux.go
@@ -17,19 +17,20 @@ import (
 )
 
 const (
-	procNetDev      = "/proc/net/dev"
-	netDevSubsystem = "network"
+	procNetDev = "/proc/net/dev"
 )
 
 var (
-	fieldSep             = regexp.MustCompile("[ :] *")
-	netdevIgnoredDevices = flag.String("collector.netdev.ignored-devices", "^$", "Regexp of net devices to ignore for netdev collector.")
+	procNetDevFieldSep   = regexp.MustCompile("[ :] *")
+	netdevIgnoredDevices = flag.String(
+		"collector.netdev.ignored-devices", "^$",
+		"Regexp of net devices to ignore for netdev collector.")
 )
 
 type netDevCollector struct {
+	subsystem             string
 	ignoredDevicesPattern *regexp.Regexp
-
-	metrics map[string]*prometheus.GaugeVec
+	metricDescs           map[string]*prometheus.Desc
 }
 
 func init() {
@@ -39,47 +40,42 @@ func init() {
 // Takes a prometheus registry and returns a new Collector exposing
 // network device stats.
 func NewNetDevCollector() (Collector, error) {
+	pattern := regexp.MustCompile(*netdevIgnoredDevices)
 	return &netDevCollector{
-		ignoredDevicesPattern: regexp.MustCompile(*netdevIgnoredDevices),
-		metrics:               map[string]*prometheus.GaugeVec{},
+		subsystem:             "network",
+		ignoredDevicesPattern: pattern,
+		metricDescs:           map[string]*prometheus.Desc{},
 	}, nil
 }
 
 func (c *netDevCollector) Update(ch chan<- prometheus.Metric) (err error) {
 	netDev, err := getNetDevStats(c.ignoredDevicesPattern)
 	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("Couldn't get netstats: %s", err)
+		return fmt.Errorf("couldn't get netstats: %s", err)
 	}
-	for direction, devStats := range netDev {
-		for dev, stats := range devStats {
-			for t, value := range stats {
-				key := direction + "_" + t
-				if _, ok := c.metrics[key]; !ok {
-					c.metrics[key] = prometheus.NewGaugeVec(
-						prometheus.GaugeOpts{
-							Namespace: Namespace,
-							Subsystem: netDevSubsystem,
-							Name:      key,
-							Help:      fmt.Sprintf("%s %s from /proc/net/dev.", t, direction),
-						},
-						[]string{"device"},
-					)
-				}
-				v, err := strconv.ParseFloat(value, 64)
-				if err != nil {
-					return fmt.Errorf("Invalid value %s in netstats: %s", value, err)
-				}
-				c.metrics[key].WithLabelValues(dev).Set(v)
+	for dev, devStats := range netDev {
+		for key, value := range devStats {
+			desc, ok := c.metricDescs[key]
+			if !ok {
+				desc = prometheus.NewDesc(
+					prometheus.BuildFQName(Namespace, c.subsystem, key),
+					fmt.Sprintf("%s from /proc/net/dev.", key),
+					[]string{"device"},
+					nil,
+				)
+				c.metricDescs[key] = desc
 			}
+			v, err := strconv.ParseFloat(value, 64)
+			if err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("invalid value %s in netstats: %s", value, err)
+			}
+			ch <- prometheus.MustNewConstMetric(desc, prometheus.GaugeValue, v, dev)
 		}
 	}
-	for _, m := range c.metrics {
-		m.Collect(ch)
-	}
-	return err
+	return nil
 }
 
-func getNetDevStats(ignore *regexp.Regexp) (map[string]map[string]map[string]string, error) {
+func getNetDevStats(ignore *regexp.Regexp) (map[string]map[string]string, error) {
 	file, err := os.Open(procNetDev)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
@@ -89,53 +85,35 @@ func getNetDevStats(ignore *regexp.Regexp) (map[string]map[string]map[string]str
 	return parseNetDevStats(file, ignore)
 }
 
-func parseNetDevStats(r io.Reader, ignore *regexp.Regexp) (map[string]map[string]map[string]string, error) {
-	netDev := map[string]map[string]map[string]string{}
-	netDev["transmit"] = map[string]map[string]string{}
-	netDev["receive"] = map[string]map[string]string{}
-
+func parseNetDevStats(r io.Reader, ignore *regexp.Regexp) (map[string]map[string]string, error) {
 	scanner := bufio.NewScanner(r)
 	scanner.Scan() // skip first header
 	scanner.Scan()
 	parts := strings.Split(string(scanner.Text()), "|")
 	if len(parts) != 3 { // interface + receive + transmit
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("Invalid header line in %s: %s",
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("invalid header line in %s: %s",
 			procNetDev, scanner.Text())
 	}
+
 	header := strings.Fields(parts[1])
+	netDev := map[string]map[string]string{}
 	for scanner.Scan() {
 		line := strings.TrimLeft(string(scanner.Text()), " ")
-		parts := fieldSep.Split(line, -1)
+		parts := procNetDevFieldSep.Split(line, -1)
 		if len(parts) != 2*len(header)+1 {
-			return nil, fmt.Errorf("Invalid line in %s: %s",
-				procNetDev, scanner.Text())
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("invalid line in %s: %s", procNetDev, scanner.Text())
 		}
 
 		dev := parts[0][:len(parts[0])]
-		receive, err := parseNetDevLine(parts[1:len(header)+1], header)
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, err
-		}
-
-		transmit, err := parseNetDevLine(parts[len(header)+1:], header)
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, err
-		}
-
 		if ignore.MatchString(dev) {
 			log.Debugf("Ignoring device: %s", dev)
 			continue
 		}
-		netDev["transmit"][dev] = transmit
-		netDev["receive"][dev] = receive
+		netDev[dev] = map[string]string{}
+		for i, v := range header {
+			netDev[dev]["receive_"+v] = parts[i+1]
+			netDev[dev]["transmit_"+v] = parts[i+1+len(header)]
+		}
 	}
 	return netDev, nil
 }
-
-func parseNetDevLine(parts []string, header []string) (map[string]string, error) {
-	devStats := map[string]string{}
-	for i, v := range parts {
-		devStats[header[i]] = v
-	}
-	return devStats, nil
-}
diff --git a/collector/netdev_linux_test.go b/collector/netdev_linux_test.go
index ce60ca3b..ef0b5186 100644
--- a/collector/netdev_linux_test.go
+++ b/collector/netdev_linux_test.go
@@ -18,23 +18,23 @@ func TestNetDevStats(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 
-	if want, got := "10437182923", netStats["receive"]["wlan0"]["bytes"]; want != got {
+	if want, got := "10437182923", netStats["wlan0"]["receive_bytes"]; want != got {
 		t.Errorf("want netstat wlan0 bytes %s, got %s", want, got)
 	}
 
-	if want, got := "68210035552", netStats["receive"]["eth0"]["bytes"]; want != got {
+	if want, got := "68210035552", netStats["eth0"]["receive_bytes"]; want != got {
 		t.Errorf("want netstat eth0 bytes %s, got %s", want, got)
 	}
 
-	if want, got := "934", netStats["transmit"]["tun0"]["packets"]; want != got {
+	if want, got := "934", netStats["tun0"]["transmit_packets"]; want != got {
 		t.Errorf("want netstat tun0 packets %s, got %s", want, got)
 	}
 
-	if want, got := 6, len(netStats["transmit"]); want != got {
+	if want, got := 6, len(netStats); want != got {
 		t.Errorf("want count of devices to be %d, got %d", want, got)
 	}
 
-	if _, ok := netStats["transmit"]["veth4B09XN"]; ok != false {
+	if _, ok := netStats["veth4B09XN"]["transmit_bytes"]; ok != false {
 		t.Error("want fixture interface veth4B09XN to not exist, but it does")
 	}
 }