How can I allow a non administrator account to enable/disable/configure wireless network settings?

Question

I have a user in our domain on a Dell laptop using windows 7 professional. Occasionally, she needs to switch from wired to wireless, but currently the system denies her this privledge without an administrator password. Is there a way to enable her to manage wireless settings? I have no group policies that should be limiting her ability in this area.

Thanks!

Solution 1

I am assuming you are on a Windows Server 2008 domain.

Create a new policy under user configuration> Administrative Templates> Network> Network connections

Look for this policy

Ability to enable/disable a LAN Connection

Determines whether users can enable/disable LAN connections. If you enable this setting, the Enable and Disable options for LAN connections are available to users (including nonadministrators). Users can enable/disable a LAN connection by double-clicking the icon representing the connection, by right-clicking it, or by using the File menu.

If you disable this setting (and enable the "Enable Network Connections settings for Administrators" setting), double-clicking the icon has no effect, and the Enable and Disable menu items are disabled for all users (including administrators). Important: If the "Enable Network Connections settings for Administrators" is disabled or not configured, this setting will not apply to administrators on post-Windows 2000 computers.

If you do not configure this setting, only Administrators and Network Configuration Operators can enable/disable LAN connections. Note: Administrators can still enable/disable LAN connections from Device Manager when this setting is disabled.

Solution 2

I believe what you need to do is make sure she is part of the Network Configuration Operators Group. This group enables you to delegate the privileges that can manage the configuration of networking features