diff --git a/pkgs/os-specific/linux/ell/default.nix b/pkgs/os-specific/linux/ell/default.nix
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..26c39fdbe6ce
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/os-specific/linux/ell/default.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+{ stdenv, fetchgit, autoreconfHook, pkgconfig }:
+
+stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
+  pname = "ell";
+  version = "0.19";
+
+  src = fetchgit {
+     url = https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/libs/ell/ell.git;
+     rev = version;
+     sha256 = "0qvgn5yxffgmlggixf6kh57gxricf57iyc8mqwn46j615bijvjs8";
+  };
+
+  nativeBuildInputs = [ autoreconfHook pkgconfig ];
+
+  meta = with stdenv.lib; {
+    homepage = https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/libs/ell/ell.git;
+    description = "Embedded Linux Library";
+    license = licenses.lgpl21;
+    platforms = platforms.linux;
+    maintainers = with maintainers; [ mic92 dtzWill ];
+  };
+}
diff --git a/pkgs/os-specific/linux/iwd/default.nix b/pkgs/os-specific/linux/iwd/default.nix
index fc7eda0af88c..eb22a08cbc60 100644
--- a/pkgs/os-specific/linux/iwd/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/os-specific/linux/iwd/default.nix
@@ -1,19 +1,14 @@
-{ stdenv, fetchgit, autoreconfHook, pkgconfig, coreutils, readline, python3Packages }:
+{ stdenv, fetchgit, autoreconfHook, pkgconfig, ell, coreutils, readline80, python3Packages }:
 
-let
-  ell = fetchgit {
-     url = https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/libs/ell/ell.git;
-     rev = "0.17";
-     sha256 = "0yk1qmvpy61qp82bb0w55n062jqzlkzbz0b1v5k763j98czz9rvz";
-  };
-in stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
-  name = "iwd-${version}";
-  version = "0.14";
+stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
+  pname = "iwd";
+
+  version = "0.17";
 
   src = fetchgit {
     url = https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/network/wireless/iwd.git;
     rev = version;
-    sha256 = "08ijlnwvj1w354gbv3hdnm3l4iy24qzq4bq5a9z0wynysasw09lv";
+    sha256 = "1bqkzl03qvzfq5hqd9nsfc98k0iyz864nzcrnbf3fr0n9wnzqffz";
   };
 
   nativeBuildInputs = [
@@ -23,7 +18,8 @@ in stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   ];
 
   buildInputs = [
-    readline
+    ell
+    readline80
     python3Packages.python
   ];
 
@@ -36,12 +32,13 @@ in stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
     "--with-dbus-datadir=${placeholder "out"}/etc/"
     "--with-dbus-busdir=${placeholder "out"}/share/dbus-1/system-services/"
     "--with-systemd-unitdir=${placeholder "out"}/lib/systemd/system/"
+    "--with-systemd-modloaddir=${placeholder "out"}/etc/modules-load.d/" # maybe
     "--localstatedir=/var/"
     "--enable-wired"
+    "--enable-external-ell"
   ];
 
   postUnpack = ''
-    ln -s ${ell} ell
     patchShebangs .
   '';
 
diff --git a/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix b/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
index 67265932e4a5..c49b00c4195a 100644
--- a/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
+++ b/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
@@ -1420,6 +1420,8 @@ in
 
   elementary-xfce-icon-theme = callPackage ../data/icons/elementary-xfce-icon-theme { };
 
+  ell = callPackage ../os-specific/linux/ell { };
+
   elm-github-install = callPackage ../tools/package-management/elm-github-install { };
 
   emby = callPackage ../servers/emby { };