diff --git a/libnm-core/nm-connection.h b/libnm-core/nm-connection.h
index fb1f901cc6..8d64a4cebc 100644
--- a/libnm-core/nm-connection.h
+++ b/libnm-core/nm-connection.h
@@ -121,8 +121,6 @@ typedef enum { /*< flags >*/
 	NM_CONNECTION_SERIALIZE_ALL = 0x00000000,
 	NM_CONNECTION_SERIALIZE_NO_SECRETS = 0x00000001,
 	NM_CONNECTION_SERIALIZE_ONLY_SECRETS = 0x00000002,
-
-	/* 0x80000000 is used for a private flag */
 } NMConnectionSerializationFlags;
 
 GVariant     *nm_connection_to_dbus       (NMConnection *connection,
diff --git a/libnm-core/nm-core-internal.h b/libnm-core/nm-core-internal.h
index ff2444673f..056269f36b 100644
--- a/libnm-core/nm-core-internal.h
+++ b/libnm-core/nm-core-internal.h
@@ -174,13 +174,6 @@ NMSettingPriority _nm_setting_get_setting_priority (NMSetting *setting);
 
 gboolean _nm_setting_get_property (NMSetting *setting, const char *name, GValue *value);
 
-/* NM_CONNECTION_SERIALIZE_NO_SYNTH: This flag is passed to _nm_setting_to_dbus()
- * by nm_setting_to_string() to let it know that it shouldn't serialize the
- * synthetic properties. It wouldn't be able to do so, since the full connection
- * is not available, only the setting alone.
- */
-#define NM_CONNECTION_SERIALIZE_NO_SYNTH ((NMConnectionSerializationFlags) 0x80000000)
-
 /*****************************************************************************/
 
 GHashTable *_nm_setting_gendata_hash (NMSetting *setting,
diff --git a/libnm-core/nm-setting-wireless.c b/libnm-core/nm-setting-wireless.c
index 287c27dacb..31eda97fa8 100644
--- a/libnm-core/nm-setting-wireless.c
+++ b/libnm-core/nm-setting-wireless.c
@@ -953,6 +953,9 @@ nm_setting_wireless_get_security (NMSetting    *setting,
                                   NMConnection *connection,
                                   const char   *property_name)
 {
+	if (!connection)
+		return NULL;
+
 	if (nm_connection_get_setting_wireless_security (connection))
 		return g_variant_new_string (NM_SETTING_WIRELESS_SECURITY_SETTING_NAME);
 	else
diff --git a/libnm-core/nm-setting.c b/libnm-core/nm-setting.c
index 4324f0a4dc..e5e9ab9655 100644
--- a/libnm-core/nm-setting.c
+++ b/libnm-core/nm-setting.c
@@ -685,15 +685,10 @@ _nm_setting_to_dbus (NMSetting *setting, NMConnection *connection, NMConnectionS
 				continue;
 		}
 
-		if (property->synth_func) {
-			if (!(flags & NM_CONNECTION_SERIALIZE_NO_SYNTH))
-				dbus_value = property->synth_func (setting, connection, property->name);
-			else
-				dbus_value = NULL;
-		} else {
+		if (property->synth_func)
+			dbus_value = property->synth_func (setting, connection, property->name);
+		else
 			dbus_value = get_property_for_dbus (setting, property, TRUE);
-		}
-
 		if (dbus_value) {
 			/* Allow dbus_value to be either floating or not. */
 			g_variant_take_ref (dbus_value);
@@ -2018,8 +2013,7 @@ nm_setting_to_string (NMSetting *setting)
 	string = g_string_new (nm_setting_get_name (setting));
 	g_string_append_c (string, '\n');
 
-	variant = _nm_setting_to_dbus (setting, NULL,   NM_CONNECTION_SERIALIZE_ALL
-	                                              | NM_CONNECTION_SERIALIZE_NO_SYNTH);
+	variant = _nm_setting_to_dbus (setting, NULL, NM_CONNECTION_SERIALIZE_ALL);
 
 	g_variant_iter_init (&iter, variant);
 	while ((child = g_variant_iter_next_value (&iter))) {