diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 2181743e8..55e3a34f8 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -67,10 +67,27 @@ AC_ARG_ENABLE(sysmocom-bts,
 		AC_HELP_STRING([--enable-sysmocom-bts],
 				[enable code for sysmoBTS L1/PHY [default=no]]),
 		[enable_sysmocom_bts="yes"],[enable_sysmocom_bts="no"])
+AC_ARG_WITH([sysmobts], [AS_HELP_STRING([--with-sysmobts=INCLUDE_DIR], [Location of the sysmobts API header files, implies --enable-sysmocom-bts])],
+			 [sysmobts_incdir="$withval"],[sysmobts_incdir="$incdir"])
+if test "x$sysmobts_incdir" != "x"; then
+	# --with-sysmobts was passed, imply enable_sysmocom_bts
+	enable_sysmocom_bts="yes"
+fi
+if test "x$enable_sysmocom_bts" = "xyes" -a "x$sysmobts_incdir" = "x"; then
+	# --enable-sysmocom-bts was passed but no --with-sysmobts. Use default.
+	sysmobts_incdir="."
+fi
+AC_SUBST([SYSMOBTS_INCDIR], $sysmobts_incdir)
 AC_MSG_RESULT([$enable_sysmocom_bts])
 AM_CONDITIONAL(ENABLE_SYSMOBTS, test "x$enable_sysmocom_bts" = "xyes")
 if test "$enable_sysmocom_bts" = "yes"; then
+	oldCPPFLAGS=$CPPFLAGS
+	CPPFLAGS="$CPPFLAGS -I$SYSMOBTS_INCDIR -I$srcdir/include"
+	AC_CHECK_HEADER([sysmocom/femtobts/superfemto.h],[],
+			[AC_MSG_ERROR([sysmocom/femtobts/superfemto.h can not be found in $sysmobts_incdir])],
+			[#include <sysmocom/femtobts/superfemto.h>])
 	PKG_CHECK_MODULES(LIBGPS, libgps)
+	CPPFLAGS=$oldCPPFLAGS
 fi
 
 AC_MSG_CHECKING([whether to enable support for osmo-trx based L1/PHY support])
diff --git a/contrib/jenkins_sysmobts.sh b/contrib/jenkins_sysmobts.sh
index 852542bd1..3e07050f2 100755
--- a/contrib/jenkins_sysmobts.sh
+++ b/contrib/jenkins_sysmobts.sh
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ osmo-layer1-headers.sh sysmo "$FIRMWARE_VERSION"
 mkdir -p "$inst/include/sysmocom/femtobts"
 ln -s $deps/layer1-headers/include/* "$inst/include/sysmocom/femtobts/"
 
-configure_flags="--enable-sysmocom-bts"
+configure_flags="--enable-sysmocom-bts --with-sysmobts=$inst/include/"
 
 # This will not work for the femtobts
 if [ $FIRMWARE_VERSION != "femtobts_v2.7" ]; then
diff --git a/src/osmo-bts-sysmo/Makefile.am b/src/osmo-bts-sysmo/Makefile.am
index 6e917e742..b837d3a37 100644
--- a/src/osmo-bts-sysmo/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/osmo-bts-sysmo/Makefile.am
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-AM_CPPFLAGS = $(all_includes) -I$(top_srcdir)/include
+AM_CPPFLAGS = $(all_includes) -I$(top_srcdir)/include -I$(SYSMOBTS_INCDIR)
 AM_CFLAGS = -Wall $(LIBOSMOCORE_CFLAGS) $(LIBOSMOCODEC_CFLAGS) $(LIBOSMOGSM_CFLAGS) $(LIBOSMOVTY_CFLAGS) $(LIBOSMOTRAU_CFLAGS) $(LIBOSMOABIS_CFLAGS) $(LIBOSMOCTRL_CFLAGS) $(LIBOSMOABIS_CFLAGS) $(LIBGPS_CFLAGS) $(ORTP_CFLAGS)
 COMMON_LDADD = $(LIBOSMOCORE_LIBS) $(LIBOSMOCODEC_LIBS) $(LIBOSMOGSM_LIBS) $(LIBOSMOVTY_LIBS) $(LIBOSMOTRAU_LIBS) $(LIBOSMOABIS_LIBS) $(LIBOSMOCTRL_LIBS) $(ORTP_LIBS)