diff --git a/install/configure b/install/configure
index 7f9a73c18..5702f8912 100755
--- a/install/configure
+++ b/install/configure
@@ -675,6 +675,7 @@ ac_ct_F77
 SET_MAKE
 FLIBS
 ranlib
+wget
 cc
 cflags
 dflags
@@ -10247,6 +10248,85 @@ fi
 
 echo setting RANLIB... $ranlib
 
+# check if wget or curl work
+# Extract the first word of "wget", so it can be a program name with args.
+set dummy wget; ac_word=$2
+{ echo "$as_me:$LINENO: checking for $ac_word" >&5
+echo $ECHO_N "checking for $ac_word... $ECHO_C" >&6; }
+if test "${ac_cv_prog_wget+set}" = set; then
+  echo $ECHO_N "(cached) $ECHO_C" >&6
+else
+  if test -n "$wget"; then
+  ac_cv_prog_wget="$wget" # Let the user override the test.
+else
+as_save_IFS=$IFS; IFS=$PATH_SEPARATOR
+for as_dir in $PATH
+do
+  IFS=$as_save_IFS
+  test -z "$as_dir" && as_dir=.
+  for ac_exec_ext in '' $ac_executable_extensions; do
+  if { test -f "$as_dir/$ac_word$ac_exec_ext" && $as_test_x "$as_dir/$ac_word$ac_exec_ext"; }; then
+    ac_cv_prog_wget="wget -O"
+    echo "$as_me:$LINENO: found $as_dir/$ac_word$ac_exec_ext" >&5
+    break 2
+  fi
+done
+done
+IFS=$as_save_IFS
+
+fi
+fi
+wget=$ac_cv_prog_wget
+if test -n "$wget"; then
+  { echo "$as_me:$LINENO: result: $wget" >&5
+echo "${ECHO_T}$wget" >&6; }
+else
+  { echo "$as_me:$LINENO: result: no" >&5
+echo "${ECHO_T}no" >&6; }
+fi
+
+
+if test "$wget" = ""; then
+   # Extract the first word of "curl", so it can be a program name with args.
+set dummy curl; ac_word=$2
+{ echo "$as_me:$LINENO: checking for $ac_word" >&5
+echo $ECHO_N "checking for $ac_word... $ECHO_C" >&6; }
+if test "${ac_cv_prog_wget+set}" = set; then
+  echo $ECHO_N "(cached) $ECHO_C" >&6
+else
+  if test -n "$wget"; then
+  ac_cv_prog_wget="$wget" # Let the user override the test.
+else
+as_save_IFS=$IFS; IFS=$PATH_SEPARATOR
+for as_dir in $PATH
+do
+  IFS=$as_save_IFS
+  test -z "$as_dir" && as_dir=.
+  for ac_exec_ext in '' $ac_executable_extensions; do
+  if { test -f "$as_dir/$ac_word$ac_exec_ext" && $as_test_x "$as_dir/$ac_word$ac_exec_ext"; }; then
+    ac_cv_prog_wget="curl -o"
+    echo "$as_me:$LINENO: found $as_dir/$ac_word$ac_exec_ext" >&5
+    break 2
+  fi
+done
+done
+IFS=$as_save_IFS
+
+fi
+fi
+wget=$ac_cv_prog_wget
+if test -n "$wget"; then
+  { echo "$as_me:$LINENO: result: $wget" >&5
+echo "${ECHO_T}$wget" >&6; }
+else
+  { echo "$as_me:$LINENO: result: no" >&5
+echo "${ECHO_T}no" >&6; }
+fi
+
+
+fi
+echo setting WGET... $wget
+
 # configure output messages
 blas_line="BLAS_LIBS=$blas_libs"
 if test "$have_scalapack" -eq 1; then
@@ -10323,6 +10403,7 @@ fi
 
 
 
+
 
 
 ac_config_headers="$ac_config_headers include/c_defs.h:include/c_defs.h.in"
@@ -11024,6 +11105,7 @@ ac_ct_F77!$ac_ct_F77$ac_delim
 SET_MAKE!$SET_MAKE$ac_delim
 FLIBS!$FLIBS$ac_delim
 ranlib!$ranlib$ac_delim
+wget!$wget$ac_delim
 cc!$cc$ac_delim
 cflags!$cflags$ac_delim
 dflags!$dflags$ac_delim
@@ -11057,7 +11139,6 @@ f90rule!$f90rule$ac_delim
 blas_line!$blas_line$ac_delim
 lapack_line!$lapack_line$ac_delim
 scalapack_line!$scalapack_line$ac_delim
-fft_line!$fft_line$ac_delim
 _ACEOF
 
   if test `sed -n "s/.*$ac_delim\$/X/p" conf$$subs.sed | grep -c X` = 97; then
@@ -11099,6 +11180,7 @@ _ACEOF
 ac_delim='%!_!# '
 for ac_last_try in false false false false false :; do
   cat >conf$$subs.sed <<_ACEOF
+fft_line!$fft_line$ac_delim
 mpi_line!$mpi_line$ac_delim
 mass_line!$mass_line$ac_delim
 parallel_report!$parallel_report$ac_delim
@@ -11108,7 +11190,7 @@ LIBOBJS!$LIBOBJS$ac_delim
 LTLIBOBJS!$LTLIBOBJS$ac_delim
 _ACEOF
 
-  if test `sed -n "s/.*$ac_delim\$/X/p" conf$$subs.sed | grep -c X` = 7; then
+  if test `sed -n "s/.*$ac_delim\$/X/p" conf$$subs.sed | grep -c X` = 8; then
     break
   elif $ac_last_try; then
     { { echo "$as_me:$LINENO: error: could not make $CONFIG_STATUS" >&5
diff --git a/install/configure.ac b/install/configure.ac
index b463d43d2..bb8ad2e64 100644
--- a/install/configure.ac
+++ b/install/configure.ac
@@ -1871,6 +1871,13 @@ fi
 
 echo setting RANLIB... $ranlib
 
+# check if wget or curl work  
+AC_CHECK_PROG(wget, wget, wget -O)
+if test "$wget" = ""; then
+   AC_CHECK_PROG(wget, curl, curl -o)
+fi
+echo setting WGET... $wget
+
 # configure output messages
 blas_line="BLAS_LIBS=$blas_libs"
 if test "$have_scalapack" -eq 1; then
@@ -1946,6 +1953,7 @@ AC_SUBST(fft_line)
 AC_SUBST(mpi_line)
 AC_SUBST(mass_line)
 AC_SUBST(parallel_report)
+AC_SUBST(wget)
 AC_SUBST(topdir)
 AC_SUBST(extlib_flags)
 
diff --git a/install/make.sys.in b/install/make.sys.in
index 05ad8064f..a06313761 100644
--- a/install/make.sys.in
+++ b/install/make.sys.in
@@ -141,5 +141,8 @@ FLIB_TARGETS   = all
 LIBOBJS        = ../flib/ptools.a ../flib/flib.a ../clib/clib.a ../iotk/src/libiotk.a 
 LIBS           = $(SCALAPACK_LIBS) $(LAPACK_LIBS) $(FFT_LIBS) $(BLAS_LIBS) $(MPI_LIBS) $(MASS_LIBS) $(LD_LIBS)
 
+# wget or curl - useful to download from network
+WGET = @wget@
+
 # topdir for linking espresso libs with plugins
 TOPDIR = @topdir@