diff --git a/src/dbus/server/auto-sync-manager.cpp b/src/dbus/server/auto-sync-manager.cpp
index b409c1e6..2487e192 100644
--- a/src/dbus/server/auto-sync-manager.cpp
+++ b/src/dbus/server/auto-sync-manager.cpp
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
 #include "session.h"
 #include "server.h"
 #include "dbus-callbacks.h"
+#include "presence-status.h"
 
 #include <glib.h>
 #include <glib/gi18n.h>
diff --git a/src/dbus/server/connman-client.cpp b/src/dbus/server/connman-client.cpp
index 3481d79c..674feae6 100644
--- a/src/dbus/server/connman-client.cpp
+++ b/src/dbus/server/connman-client.cpp
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 
 #include "connman-client.h"
 #include "server.h"
+#include "presence-status.h"
 
 SE_BEGIN_CXX
 
diff --git a/src/dbus/server/network-manager-client.cpp b/src/dbus/server/network-manager-client.cpp
index 91ebd7be..6c462d50 100644
--- a/src/dbus/server/network-manager-client.cpp
+++ b/src/dbus/server/network-manager-client.cpp
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 
 #include "network-manager-client.h"
 #include "server.h"
+#include "presence-status.h"
 
 SE_BEGIN_CXX
 
diff --git a/src/dbus/server/server.cpp b/src/dbus/server/server.cpp
index be751c2c..ddd10c1d 100644
--- a/src/dbus/server/server.cpp
+++ b/src/dbus/server/server.cpp
@@ -33,6 +33,9 @@
 #include "restart.h"
 #include "client.h"
 #include "auto-sync-manager.h"
+#include "connman-client.h"
+#include "network-manager-client.h"
+#include "presence-status.h"
 
 #include <boost/pointer_cast.hpp>
 
@@ -207,7 +210,7 @@ void Server::checkPresence(const std::string &server,
                            std::string &status,
                            std::vector<std::string> &transports)
 {
-    return m_presence.checkPresence(server, status, transports);
+    return getPresenceStatus().checkPresence(server, status, transports);
 }
 
 void Server::getSessions(std::vector<DBusObject_t> &sessions)
@@ -246,9 +249,6 @@ Server::Server(GMainLoop *loop,
     configChanged(*this, "ConfigChanged"),
     infoRequest(*this, "InfoRequest"),
     logOutput(*this, "LogOutput"),
-    m_presence(*this),
-    m_connman(*this),
-    m_networkManager(*this),
     m_autoTerm(m_loop, m_shutdownRequested, duration),
     m_parentLogger(LoggerBase::instance())
 {
@@ -280,26 +280,40 @@ Server::Server(GMainLoop *loop,
     add(infoRequest);
     add(logOutput);
 
+    // log entering and leaving idle state
+    m_idleSignal.connect(boost::bind(logIdle, _1));
+
+    // connect ConfigChanged signal to source for that information
+    m_configChangedSignal.connect(boost::bind(boost::ref(configChanged)));
+}
+
+void Server::activate()
+{
+    // Activate our D-Bus object *before* interacting with D-Bus
+    // any further. Otherwise GIO D-Bus will start processing
+    // messages for us while we start up and reject them because
+    // out object isn't visible to it yet.
+    GDBusCXX::DBusObjectHelper::activate();
+
     LoggerBase::pushLogger(this);
     setLevel(LoggerBase::DEBUG);
 
+    m_presence.reset(new PresenceStatus(*this));
+
     // Assume that Bluetooth is available. Neither ConnMan nor Network
     // manager can tell us about that. The "Bluetooth" ConnMan technology
     // is about IP connection via Bluetooth - not what we need.
     getPresenceStatus().updatePresenceStatus(true, PresenceStatus::BT_TRANSPORT);
 
-    if (!m_connman.isAvailable() &&
-        !m_networkManager.isAvailable()) {
+    m_connman.reset(new ConnmanClient(*this));
+    m_networkManager.reset(new NetworkManagerClient(*this));
+
+    if ((!m_connman || !m_connman->isAvailable()) &&
+        (!m_networkManager || !m_networkManager->isAvailable())) {
         // assume that we are online if no network manager was found at all
         getPresenceStatus().updatePresenceStatus(true, PresenceStatus::HTTP_TRANSPORT);
     }
 
-    // log entering and leaving idle state
-    m_idleSignal.connect(boost::bind(logIdle, _1));
-
-    // connect ConfigChanged signal to source for that information
-    m_configChangedSignal.connect(boost::bind(boost::ref(configChanged)));
-
     // create auto sync manager, now that server is ready
     m_autoSync = AutoSyncManager::createAutoSyncManager(*this);
 }
@@ -314,6 +328,9 @@ Server::~Server()
     m_infoReqMap.clear();
     m_timeouts.clear();
     m_delayDeletion.clear();
+    m_connman.reset();
+    m_networkManager.reset();
+    m_presence.reset();
     LoggerBase::popLogger();
 }
 
@@ -760,6 +777,14 @@ void Server::removeInfoReq(const std::string &id)
     m_infoReqMap.erase(id);
 }
 
+PresenceStatus &Server::getPresenceStatus()
+{
+    if (!m_presence) {
+        SE_THROW("internal error: Server::getPresenceStatus() called while server has no instance");
+    }
+    return *m_presence;
+}
+
 void Server::getDeviceList(SyncConfig::DeviceList &devices)
 {
     //wait bluez or other device managers
diff --git a/src/dbus/server/server.h b/src/dbus/server/server.h
index 3022414e..4a6a0208 100644
--- a/src/dbus/server/server.h
+++ b/src/dbus/server/server.h
@@ -26,13 +26,13 @@
 #include <boost/weak_ptr.hpp>
 #include <boost/signals2.hpp>
 
+#include <syncevo/SyncConfig.h>
+
 #include "exceptions.h"
 #include "auto-term.h"
-#include "connman-client.h"
-#include "network-manager-client.h"
-#include "presence-status.h"
 #include "timeout.h"
 #include "dbus-callbacks.h"
+#include "read-operations.h"
 
 #include <syncevo/declarations.h>
 SE_BEGIN_CXX
@@ -46,6 +46,12 @@ class Restart;
 class Client;
 class GLibNotify;
 class AutoSyncManager;
+class PresenceStatus;
+class ConnmanClient;
+class NetworkManagerClient;
+
+// TODO: avoid polluting namespace
+using namespace std;
 
 /**
  * Implements the main org.syncevolution.Server interface.
@@ -345,9 +351,9 @@ class Server : public GDBusCXX::DBusObjectHelper,
     /** remove InfoReq from hash map */
     void removeInfoReq(const std::string &infoReqId);
 
-    PresenceStatus m_presence;
-    ConnmanClient m_connman;
-    NetworkManagerClient m_networkManager;
+    boost::scoped_ptr<PresenceStatus> m_presence;
+    boost::scoped_ptr<ConnmanClient> m_connman;
+    boost::scoped_ptr<NetworkManagerClient> m_networkManager;
 
     /** Manager to automatic sync */
     boost::shared_ptr<AutoSyncManager> m_autoSync;
@@ -381,6 +387,7 @@ public:
            boost::shared_ptr<Restart> &restart,
            const GDBusCXX::DBusConnectionPtr &conn,
            int duration);
+    void activate();
     ~Server();
 
     /** access to the GMainLoop reference used by this Server instance */
@@ -558,7 +565,7 @@ public:
     /** poll_nm callback for connman, used for presence detection*/
     void connmanCallback(const std::map <std::string, boost::variant <std::vector <std::string> > >& props, const string &error);
 
-    PresenceStatus& getPresenceStatus() {return m_presence;}
+    PresenceStatus& getPresenceStatus();
 
     void clearPeerTempls() { m_matchedTempls.clear(); }
     void addPeerTempl(const string &templName, const boost::shared_ptr<SyncConfig::TemplateDescription> peerTempl);
diff --git a/src/dbus/server/session.cpp b/src/dbus/server/session.cpp
index eae0f4f0..a3ec0b6c 100644
--- a/src/dbus/server/session.cpp
+++ b/src/dbus/server/session.cpp
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 #include "info-req.h"
 #include "session-common.h"
 #include "dbus-callbacks.h"
+#include "presence-status.h"
 
 #include <syncevo/ForkExec.h>
 #include <syncevo/SyncContext.h>