diff --git a/common/src/main/java/io/netty/util/internal/DetectionUtil.java b/common/src/main/java/io/netty/util/internal/DetectionUtil.java
index e8ff95fddf..c5b4548391 100644
--- a/common/src/main/java/io/netty/util/internal/DetectionUtil.java
+++ b/common/src/main/java/io/netty/util/internal/DetectionUtil.java
@@ -15,6 +15,8 @@
  */
 package io.netty.util.internal;
 
+import java.net.InetSocketAddress;
+import java.net.ServerSocket;
 import java.security.AccessController;
 import java.security.PrivilegedActionException;
 import java.security.PrivilegedExceptionAction;
@@ -35,11 +37,47 @@ public final class DetectionUtil {
     private static final int JAVA_VERSION = javaVersion0();
     private static final boolean HAS_UNSAFE = hasUnsafe(AtomicInteger.class.getClassLoader());
     private static final boolean IS_WINDOWS;
+    private static final boolean IS_ROOT;
 
     static {
         String os = System.getProperty("os.name").toLowerCase();
         // windows
         IS_WINDOWS = os.contains("win");
+
+        boolean root = false;
+        if (!IS_WINDOWS) {
+            for (int i = 1023; i > 0; i --) {
+                ServerSocket ss = null;
+                try {
+                    ss = new ServerSocket();
+                    ss.setReuseAddress(true);
+                    ss.bind(new InetSocketAddress(i));
+                    root = true;
+                    break;
+                } catch (Exception e) {
+                    // Failed to bind.
+                    // Check the error message so that we don't always need to bind 1023 times.
+                    String message = e.getMessage();
+                    if (message == null) {
+                        message = "";
+                    }
+                    message = message.toLowerCase();
+                    if (message.matches(".*permission.*denied.*")) {
+                        break;
+                    }
+                } finally {
+                    if (ss != null) {
+                        try {
+                            ss.close();
+                        } catch (Exception e) {
+                            // Ignore.
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        IS_ROOT = root;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -49,6 +87,14 @@ public final class DetectionUtil {
         return IS_WINDOWS;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Return {@code true} if the current user is root.  Note that this method returns
+     * {@code false} if on Windows.
+     */
+    public static boolean isRoot() {
+        return IS_ROOT;
+    }
+
     public static boolean hasUnsafe() {
         return HAS_UNSAFE;
     }
diff --git a/transport/src/main/java/io/netty/channel/AbstractChannel.java b/transport/src/main/java/io/netty/channel/AbstractChannel.java
index 6f371e3bcf..46096f882d 100644
--- a/transport/src/main/java/io/netty/channel/AbstractChannel.java
+++ b/transport/src/main/java/io/netty/channel/AbstractChannel.java
@@ -20,8 +20,10 @@ import io.netty.buffer.MessageBuf;
 import io.netty.logging.InternalLogger;
 import io.netty.logging.InternalLoggerFactory;
 import io.netty.util.DefaultAttributeMap;
+import io.netty.util.internal.DetectionUtil;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
+import java.net.InetSocketAddress;
 import java.net.SocketAddress;
 import java.nio.channels.ClosedChannelException;
 import java.util.Random;
@@ -316,7 +318,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractChannel extends DefaultAttributeMap implements Cha
      */
     @Override
     public final int hashCode() {
-        return this.id;
+        return id;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -450,6 +452,20 @@ public abstract class AbstractChannel extends DefaultAttributeMap implements Cha
 
                 try {
                     boolean wasActive = isActive();
+
+                    // See: https://github.com/netty/netty/issues/576
+                    if (!DetectionUtil.isWindows() && !DetectionUtil.isRoot() &&
+                        Boolean.TRUE.equals(config().getOption(ChannelOption.SO_BROADCAST)) &&
+                        localAddress instanceof InetSocketAddress &&
+                        !((InetSocketAddress) localAddress).getAddress().isAnyLocalAddress()) {
+                        // Warn a user about the fact that a non-root user can't receive a
+                        // broadcast packet on *nix if the socket is bound on non-wildcard address.
+                        logger.warn(
+                                "A non-root user can't receive a broadcast packet if the socket " +
+                                "is not bound to a wildcard address; binding to a non-wildcard " +
+                                "address (" + localAddress + ") anyway as requested.");
+                    }
+
                     doBind(localAddress);
                     future.setSuccess();
                     if (!wasActive && isActive()) {
diff --git a/transport/src/main/java/io/netty/channel/socket/DefaultDatagramChannelConfig.java b/transport/src/main/java/io/netty/channel/socket/DefaultDatagramChannelConfig.java
index 4fda13879d..665196a1b4 100644
--- a/transport/src/main/java/io/netty/channel/socket/DefaultDatagramChannelConfig.java
+++ b/transport/src/main/java/io/netty/channel/socket/DefaultDatagramChannelConfig.java
@@ -19,6 +19,9 @@ import static io.netty.channel.ChannelOption.*;
 import io.netty.channel.ChannelException;
 import io.netty.channel.ChannelOption;
 import io.netty.channel.DefaultChannelConfig;
+import io.netty.logging.InternalLogger;
+import io.netty.logging.InternalLoggerFactory;
+import io.netty.util.internal.DetectionUtil;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.net.DatagramSocket;
@@ -33,6 +36,8 @@ import java.util.Map;
  */
 public class DefaultDatagramChannelConfig extends DefaultChannelConfig implements DatagramChannelConfig {
 
+    private static final InternalLogger logger = InternalLoggerFactory.getInstance(DefaultDatagramChannelConfig.class);
+
     private static final int DEFAULT_RECEIVE_PACKET_SIZE = 2048;
 
     private final DatagramSocket socket;
@@ -137,6 +142,19 @@ public class DefaultDatagramChannelConfig extends DefaultChannelConfig implement
     @Override
     public void setBroadcast(boolean broadcast) {
         try {
+            // See: https://github.com/netty/netty/issues/576
+            if (broadcast &&
+                !DetectionUtil.isWindows() && !DetectionUtil.isRoot() &&
+                !socket.getLocalAddress().isAnyLocalAddress()) {
+                // Warn a user about the fact that a non-root user can't receive a
+                // broadcast packet on *nix if the socket is bound on non-wildcard address.
+                logger.warn(
+                        "A non-root user can't receive a broadcast packet if the socket " +
+                        "is not bound to a wildcard address; setting the SO_BROADCAST flag " +
+                        "anyway as requested on the socket which is bound to " +
+                        socket.getLocalSocketAddress() + ".");
+            }
+
             socket.setBroadcast(broadcast);
         } catch (SocketException e) {
             throw new ChannelException(e);