diff --git a/eth/backend.go b/eth/backend.go
index ded3f0021d..446f065310 100644
--- a/eth/backend.go
+++ b/eth/backend.go
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/core"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/core/types"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/core/vm"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/crypto"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/ethdb"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/event"
@@ -21,7 +22,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/p2p"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/p2p/discover"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/p2p/nat"
-	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/core/vm"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/whisper"
 )
 
@@ -141,8 +141,8 @@ type Ethereum struct {
 	Mining          bool
 	DataDir         string
 	version         string
-	ProtocolVersion int
-	NetworkId       int
+	protocolVersion int
+	networkId       int
 }
 
 func New(config *Config) (*Ethereum, error) {
@@ -185,8 +185,8 @@ func New(config *Config) (*Ethereum, error) {
 		accountManager:  config.AccountManager,
 		DataDir:         config.DataDir,
 		version:         config.Name, // TODO should separate from Name
-		ProtocolVersion: config.ProtocolVersion,
-		NetworkId:       config.NetworkId,
+		protocolVersion: config.ProtocolVersion,
+		networkId:       config.NetworkId,
 	}
 
 	eth.chainManager = core.NewChainManager(blockDb, stateDb, eth.EventMux())
@@ -325,6 +325,8 @@ func (s *Ethereum) PeerCount() int                       { return s.net.PeerCoun
 func (s *Ethereum) Peers() []*p2p.Peer                   { return s.net.Peers() }
 func (s *Ethereum) MaxPeers() int                        { return s.net.MaxPeers }
 func (s *Ethereum) Version() string                      { return s.version }
+func (s *Ethereum) ProtocolVersion() int                 { return s.protocolVersion }
+func (s *Ethereum) NetworkId() int                       { return s.networkId }
 
 // Start the ethereum
 func (s *Ethereum) Start() error {
diff --git a/rpc/api.go b/rpc/api.go
index 19bd9b7079..4bc1991765 100644
--- a/rpc/api.go
+++ b/rpc/api.go
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ func (api *EthereumApi) GetRequestReply(req *RpcRequest, reply *interface{}) err
 	case "web3_clientVersion":
 		*reply = api.xeth().Backend().Version()
 	case "net_version":
-		return NewNotImplementedError(req.Method)
+		*reply = string(api.xeth().Backend().ProtocolVersion())
 	case "net_listening":
 		*reply = api.xeth().IsListening()
 	case "net_peerCount":
diff --git a/xeth/xeth.go b/xeth/xeth.go
index 02a691ffb9..98f5f5b36c 100644
--- a/xeth/xeth.go
+++ b/xeth/xeth.go
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/accounts"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/core"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/core/state"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/core/types"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/crypto"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/event"
@@ -19,7 +20,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/logger"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/miner"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/p2p"
-	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/core/state"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/whisper"
 )
 
@@ -50,6 +50,8 @@ type Backend interface {
 	StartMining() error
 	StopMining()
 	Version() string
+	ProtocolVersion() int
+	NetworkId() int
 }
 
 // Frontend should be implemented by users of XEth. Its methods are