diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 338f0ba..168873f 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ project(LibVNCServer)
 include(CheckFunctionExists)
 include(CheckIncludeFile)
 include(CheckTypeSize)
-include(TestBigEndian)
 include(CheckCSourceCompiles)
 include(CheckCXXSourceCompiles)
 include(CheckCSourceRuns)
@@ -163,8 +162,6 @@ if(NOT HAVE_LIBVNCSERVER_IN_ADDR_T)
   set(LIBVNCSERVER_NEED_INADDR_T 1)
 endif(NOT HAVE_LIBVNCSERVER_IN_ADDR_T)
 
-TEST_BIG_ENDIAN(LIBVNCSERVER_WORDS_BIGENDIAN)
-
 # TODO:
 # LIBVNCSERVER_ENOENT_WORKAROUND
 # inline
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 6e60a0f..5d05c12 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -503,7 +503,6 @@ AC_CHECK_HEADERS([arpa/inet.h endian.h fcntl.h netdb.h netinet/in.h stdlib.h std
 # Checks for typedefs, structures, and compiler characteristics.
 AC_C_CONST
 AC_C_INLINE
-AC_C_BIGENDIAN
 AC_TYPE_SIZE_T
 AC_HEADER_TIME
 AC_HEADER_SYS_WAIT
diff --git a/rfb/rfbproto.h b/rfb/rfbproto.h
index 9b082dd..354f1aa 100644
--- a/rfb/rfbproto.h
+++ b/rfb/rfbproto.h
@@ -80,11 +80,11 @@
 #endif
 #endif
 
-/* some autotool versions do not properly prefix
-   WORDS_BIGENDIAN, so do that manually */
-#ifdef WORDS_BIGENDIAN
-#define LIBVNCSERVER_WORDS_BIGENDIAN
-#endif
+# include <endian.h>
+# if __BYTE_ORDER == __BIG_ENDIAN
+#  define LIBVBNCSERVER_WORDS_BIGENDIAN 1
+# endif
+
 
 /* MS compilers don't have strncasecmp */
 #ifdef _MSC_VER