Wireless networking in Linux used to be a challenge to configure. I remember back around 2002 when I started getting back into Unix and Linux and how hard it was to get a laptop to work with a wireless network adapter. It would take me hours sometimes and would entail research and searching the internet. I can’t remember which distro I was using but it was probably Suse or Redhat which I used back then. Nowadays, it’s easier and most wireless network adapters are plug and play. This week I have been installing Linux Mint 18.0 onto three desktop computers built in 2009 and the wireless network card was recognized by Linux on every one. I didn’t have to do anything on it at all – not even re-start the computer like Microsoft Windows sometimes makes you do.
On a side note, one of the network adapters I was installing in Linux was a USB one from the Alfa Network company designed for long-range reception. It does a good job of digging deep for distant WiFi signals. With this adapter, I could see WiFi signals my built-in laptop adapter couldn’t even see.