diff --git a/src/blackmisc/blackmiscfreefunctions.cpp b/src/blackmisc/blackmiscfreefunctions.cpp
index 43396ab3c..f54d8be33 100644
--- a/src/blackmisc/blackmiscfreefunctions.cpp
+++ b/src/blackmisc/blackmiscfreefunctions.cpp
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 #include "settingsallclasses.h"
 #include "hwallclasses.h"
 #include "indexvariantmap.h"
+#include "variant.h"
 #include "statusmessagelist.h"
 #include "audioallclasses.h"
 
@@ -130,7 +131,9 @@ void BlackMisc::Hardware::registerMetadata()
  */
 void BlackMisc::registerMetadata()
 {
-    // !! make sure the first id is correctly returned by
+    CVariant::registerMetadata(); // before the others because it's not a CValueObject
+
+    // !! make sure the first valueobject id is correctly returned by
     // !! firstBlackMetaType
     CIndexVariantMap::registerMetadata();
 
diff --git a/src/blackmisc/variant.cpp b/src/blackmisc/variant.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8463ba544
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/blackmisc/variant.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+/* Copyright (C) 2014 VATSIM Community / authors
+ * This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
+ * License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
+ * file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/. */
+
+#include "variant.h"
+#include "blackmiscfreefunctions.h"
+#include <QDBusArgument>
+#include <QDBusMetaType>
+#include <QDBusVariant>
+
+namespace BlackMisc
+{
+
+    void CVariant::registerMetadata()
+    {
+        qRegisterMetaType<CVariant>();
+        qDBusRegisterMetaType<CVariant>();
+    }
+
+    QString CVariant::toString(bool i18n) const
+    {
+        if (type() == QVariant::UserType)
+        {
+            const CValueObject *s = CValueObject::fromQVariant(m_v); // FIXME this will return garbage if value is not a CValueObject
+            if (s)
+            {
+                return s->toQString(i18n);
+            }
+        }
+        return m_v.toString();
+    }
+
+    QDBusArgument &operator <<(QDBusArgument &arg, const CVariant &var)
+    {
+        arg.beginStructure();
+        arg << QString(var.typeName()) << QDBusVariant(var.toQVariant());
+        arg.endStructure();
+        return arg;
+    }
+
+    const QDBusArgument &operator >>(const QDBusArgument &arg, CVariant &var)
+    {
+        QString typeName;
+        QDBusVariant dbusVar;
+        arg.beginStructure();
+        arg >> typeName >> dbusVar;
+        arg.endStructure();
+
+        var = fixQVariantFromDbusArgument(dbusVar.variant(), QMetaType::type(qPrintable(typeName)));
+        return arg;
+    }
+
+} // namespace
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/blackmisc/variant.h b/src/blackmisc/variant.h
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a01b776b4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/blackmisc/variant.h
@@ -0,0 +1,160 @@
+/* Copyright (C) 2014 VATSIM Community / authors
+ * This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
+ * License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
+ * file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/. */
+
+/*!
+    \file
+*/
+
+#ifndef BLACKMISC_VARIANT_H
+#define BLACKMISC_VARIANT_H
+
+#include <QVariant>
+
+class QDBusArgument;
+
+namespace BlackMisc
+{
+
+    /*!
+     * Wrapper class for QVariant, for more natural and transparent DBus integration.
+     */
+    class CVariant
+    {
+    public:
+        //! Default constructor.
+        CVariant() {}
+
+        //! Copy constructor.
+        CVariant(const CVariant &other) : m_v(other.m_v) {}
+
+        //! Move constructor.
+        CVariant(CVariant &&other) : m_v(std::move(other.m_v)) {}
+
+        //! Construct from a QVariant.
+        CVariant(const QVariant &var) : m_v(var) {}
+
+        //! Move-construct from a QVariant.
+        CVariant(QVariant &&var) : m_v(std::move(var)) {}
+
+        //! Construct a null variant of the given type.
+        CVariant(QVariant::Type type) : m_v(type) {}
+
+        //! Construct a variant from the given type and opaque pointer.
+        CVariant(int typeId, const void *copy) : m_v(typeId, copy) {}
+
+        //! Change the internal QVariant.
+        void reset(const QVariant &var) { m_v = var; }
+
+        //! Change the internal QVariant.
+        void reset(QVariant &&var) { m_v = std::move(var); }
+
+        //! Copy assignment operator.
+        CVariant &operator =(const CVariant &other) { m_v = other.m_v; return *this; }
+
+        //! Move assignment operatior.
+        CVariant &operator =(CVariant &&other) { m_v = std::move(other.m_v); return *this; }
+
+        //! Change the internal QVariant
+        CVariant &operator =(const QVariant &var) { m_v = var; return *this; }
+
+        //! Change the internal QVariant
+        CVariant &operator =(QVariant &&var) { m_v = std::move(var); return *this; }
+
+        //! Swap this variant with another.
+        void swap(CVariant &other) { m_v.swap(other.m_v); }
+
+        //! Swap the internal QVariant with another.
+        void swap(QVariant &other) { m_v.swap(other); }
+
+        //! Construct a variant from a value.
+        template <typename T> static CVariant fromValue(T &&value) { return CVariant(QVariant::fromValue(std::forward<T>(value))); }
+
+        //! Synonym for fromValue().
+        template <typename T> static CVariant from(T &&value) { return CVariant(QVariant::fromValue(std::forward<T>(value))); }
+
+        //! Change the value.
+        template <typename T> void setValue(T &&value) { m_v.setValue(std::forward<T>(value)); }
+
+        //! Synonym for setValue().
+        template <typename T> void set(T &&value) { m_v.setValue(std::forward<T>(value)); }
+
+        //! Return the value converted to the type T.
+        template <typename T> T value() const { return m_v.value<T>(); }
+
+        //! Synonym for value().
+        template <typename T> T to() const { return m_v.value<T>(); }
+
+        //! Return the internal QVariant.
+        const QVariant &toQVariant() const { return m_v; }
+
+        //! True if this variant can be converted to the type with the given metatype ID.
+        bool canConvert(int typeId) const { return m_v.canConvert(typeId); }
+
+        //! True if this variant can be converted to the type T.
+        template <typename T> bool canConvert() const { return m_v.canConvert<T>(); }
+
+        //! Convert this variant to the type with the given metatype ID and return true if successful.
+        bool convert(int typeId) { return m_v.convert(typeId); }
+
+        //! Convert this variant to a QString.
+        QString toString(bool i18n = false) const;
+
+        //! Convert this variant to a bool.
+        bool toBool() const { return m_v.toBool(); }
+
+        //! Set the variant to null.
+        void clear() { m_v.clear(); }
+
+        //! True if this variant is null.
+        bool isNull() const { return m_v.isNull(); }
+
+        //! True if this variant is valid.
+        bool isValid() const { return m_v.isValid(); }
+
+        //! Return the metatype ID of the value in this variant, or QMetaType::User if it is a user type.
+        QVariant::Type type() const { return m_v.type(); }
+
+        //! Return the typename of the value in this variant.
+        const char *typeName() const { return m_v.typeName(); }
+
+        //! Return the metatype ID of the value in this variant.
+        int userType() const { return m_v.userType(); }
+
+        //! Equal operator.
+        bool operator ==(const CVariant &other) const { return m_v == other.m_v; }
+
+        //! Not equal operator.
+        bool operator !=(const CVariant &other) const { return m_v != other.m_v; }
+
+        //! Less than operator.
+        bool operator <(const CVariant &other) const { return m_v < other.m_v; }
+
+        //! Less than or equal operator.
+        bool operator <=(const CVariant &other) const { return m_v <= other.m_v; }
+
+        //! Greater than operator.
+        bool operator >(const CVariant &other) const { return m_v > other.m_v; }
+
+        //! Greater than or equal operator.
+        bool operator >=(const CVariant &other) const { return m_v >= other.m_v; }
+
+        //! Register metadata.
+        static void registerMetadata();
+
+    private:
+        QVariant m_v;
+    };
+
+    //! Marshall a variant to DBus.
+    QDBusArgument &operator <<(QDBusArgument &arg, const CVariant &var);
+
+    //! Unmarshall a variant from DBus.
+    const QDBusArgument &operator >>(const QDBusArgument &arg, CVariant &var);
+
+} // namespace
+
+Q_DECLARE_METATYPE(BlackMisc::CVariant)
+
+#endif // guard