diff --git a/shared/nm-meta-setting.c b/shared/nm-meta-setting.c
index 00221dac6a..4ef07d85e5 100644
--- a/shared/nm-meta-setting.c
+++ b/shared/nm-meta-setting.c
@@ -408,15 +408,44 @@ const NMMetaSettingInfo nm_meta_setting_infos[] = {
 const NMMetaSettingInfo *
 nm_meta_setting_infos_by_name (const char *name)
 {
-	int i;
+	gssize idx;
+
+#if NM_MORE_ASSERTS > 10
+	{
+		guint i, j;
 
-	if (name) {
 		for (i = 0; i < _NM_META_SETTING_TYPE_NUM; i++) {
-			if (nm_streq (nm_meta_setting_infos[i].setting_name, name))
-				return &nm_meta_setting_infos[i];
+			const NMMetaSettingInfo *setting_info = &nm_meta_setting_infos[i];
+
+			nm_assert (setting_info->meta_type == (NMMetaSettingType) i);
+			nm_assert (setting_info->setting_name);
+			nm_assert (setting_info->setting_name[0]);
+			nm_assert (setting_info->get_setting_gtype);
+			nm_assert (setting_info->setting_priority != NM_SETTING_PRIORITY_INVALID);
+			if (   i > 0
+			    && strcmp (nm_meta_setting_infos[i - 1].setting_name, setting_info->setting_name) >= 0) {
+				g_error ("nm_meta_setting_infos[%u, \"%s\"] is wrongly sorted before nm_meta_setting_infos[%u, \"%s\"]. Rearange NMMetaSettingType enum",
+				         i - 1, nm_meta_setting_infos[i - 1].setting_name,
+				         i, setting_info->setting_name);
+			}
+			for (j = 0; j < i; j++) {
+				const NMMetaSettingInfo *s = &nm_meta_setting_infos[j];
+
+				nm_assert (setting_info->get_setting_gtype != s->get_setting_gtype);
+			}
 		}
 	}
-	return NULL;
+#endif
+
+	G_STATIC_ASSERT_EXPR (G_STRUCT_OFFSET (NMMetaSettingInfo, setting_name) == 0);
+	idx = nm_utils_array_find_binary_search (nm_meta_setting_infos,
+	                                         sizeof (NMMetaSettingInfo),
+	                                         _NM_META_SETTING_TYPE_NUM,
+	                                         &name,
+	                                         nm_strcmp_p_with_data,
+	                                         NULL);
+
+	return idx >= 0 ? &nm_meta_setting_infos[idx] : NULL;
 }
 
 const NMMetaSettingInfo *
diff --git a/shared/nm-meta-setting.h b/shared/nm-meta-setting.h
index 28091ff98e..677ae4c00d 100644
--- a/shared/nm-meta-setting.h
+++ b/shared/nm-meta-setting.h
@@ -97,8 +97,18 @@ extern const NMSetting8021xSchemeVtable nm_setting_8021x_scheme_vtable[_NM_SETTI
 /*****************************************************************************/
 
 typedef enum {
+	/* the enum (and their numeric values) are internal API. Do not assign
+	 * any meaning the numeric values, because they already have one:
+	 *
+	 * they are sorted in a way, that corresponds to the asciibetical sort
+	 * order of the corresponding setting-name. */
+
 	NM_META_SETTING_TYPE_6LOWPAN,
+	NM_META_SETTING_TYPE_OLPC_MESH,
+	NM_META_SETTING_TYPE_WIRELESS,
+	NM_META_SETTING_TYPE_WIRELESS_SECURITY,
 	NM_META_SETTING_TYPE_802_1X,
+	NM_META_SETTING_TYPE_WIRED,
 	NM_META_SETTING_TYPE_ADSL,
 	NM_META_SETTING_TYPE_BLUETOOTH,
 	NM_META_SETTING_TYPE_BOND,
@@ -111,12 +121,11 @@ typedef enum {
 	NM_META_SETTING_TYPE_GENERIC,
 	NM_META_SETTING_TYPE_GSM,
 	NM_META_SETTING_TYPE_INFINIBAND,
+	NM_META_SETTING_TYPE_IP_TUNNEL,
 	NM_META_SETTING_TYPE_IP4_CONFIG,
 	NM_META_SETTING_TYPE_IP6_CONFIG,
-	NM_META_SETTING_TYPE_IP_TUNNEL,
 	NM_META_SETTING_TYPE_MACSEC,
 	NM_META_SETTING_TYPE_MACVLAN,
-	NM_META_SETTING_TYPE_OLPC_MESH,
 	NM_META_SETTING_TYPE_OVS_BRIDGE,
 	NM_META_SETTING_TYPE_OVS_INTERFACE,
 	NM_META_SETTING_TYPE_OVS_PATCH,
@@ -135,9 +144,6 @@ typedef enum {
 	NM_META_SETTING_TYPE_VPN,
 	NM_META_SETTING_TYPE_VXLAN,
 	NM_META_SETTING_TYPE_WIMAX,
-	NM_META_SETTING_TYPE_WIRED,
-	NM_META_SETTING_TYPE_WIRELESS,
-	NM_META_SETTING_TYPE_WIRELESS_SECURITY,
 	NM_META_SETTING_TYPE_WPAN,
 
 	NM_META_SETTING_TYPE_UNKNOWN,
@@ -163,10 +169,10 @@ typedef enum {
 #define _NMMetaSettingInfoXX _NMMetaSettingInfoCli
 #endif
 struct _NMMetaSettingInfoXX {
-	NMMetaSettingType meta_type;
-	NMSettingPriority setting_priority;
 	const char *setting_name;
 	GType (*get_setting_gtype) (void);
+	NMMetaSettingType meta_type;
+	NMSettingPriority setting_priority;
 };
 
 typedef struct _NMMetaSettingInfoXX NMMetaSettingInfo;