diff --git a/fhem/CHANGED b/fhem/CHANGED
index 5a03f1f46..e79ca90c2 100644
--- a/fhem/CHANGED
+++ b/fhem/CHANGED
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 # Add changes at the top of the list. Keep it in ASCII, and 80-char wide.
 # Do not insert empty lines here, update check depends on it. 
+ - bugfix:  10_WS980: v.1.5.0 fix fhem-crash when autodiscovery fails
  - change:  10_WS980: allow to ignore invalid values
  - feature: 49_SSCam: new value 8.2.8-xxxx for attr simu_SVSversion
  - bugfix:  76_SMAInverter:fix ETOTAL/LOADTOTAL bug
diff --git a/fhem/FHEM/10_WS980.pm b/fhem/FHEM/10_WS980.pm
index 07a6b5749..16ce495d7 100644
--- a/fhem/FHEM/10_WS980.pm
+++ b/fhem/FHEM/10_WS980.pm
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ use warnings;
 use IO::Socket::INET;
 use POSIX qw(strftime);
 
-my $version = "1.4.0";
+my $version = "1.5.0";
 
 #------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # global constants
@@ -451,10 +451,18 @@ sub WS980_autodiscoverIP($)
 	WS980_Log($hash, 4, "received raw reply: " . WS980_hexDump($rawbuf));
 
 	my ($typeStr, $buf) = WS980_handleReply($hash, $rawbuf);
-	my ($ip1, $ip2, $ip3, $ip4, $port, $stationName) = unpack("x[6]CCCCnC/A", $buf);
-	WS980_Log($hash, 2, "reply: $ip1, $ip2, $ip3, $ip4, $port, $stationName");
 
-	return (sprintf("%d.%d.%d.%d", $ip1, $ip2, $ip3, $ip4), $port);
+	if (defined($buf)) {
+		my ($ip1, $ip2, $ip3, $ip4, $port, $stationName) = unpack("x[6]CCCCnC/A", $buf);
+		WS980_Log($hash, 2, "autodiscovery-reply: $ip1, $ip2, $ip3, $ip4, $port, $stationName");
+
+		return (sprintf("%d.%d.%d.%d", $ip1, $ip2, $ip3, $ip4), $port);
+	}
+	else
+	{
+		WS980_Log($hash, 1, "autodiscovery failed: looks like the reply could not be decoded");
+		return (undef,undef);
+	}
 }