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There is a similar question to my question, but the answers were more specific to that situation.

I am running Ubuntu 21.04 on a Raspberry Pi 4b. I do not see any WiFi networks in the GUI WiFi pane, even though my phone can see multiple WiFi networks and my phone is also activating a hotspot.

What is a standard way to investigate why this would be? Assuming my Pi's hardware is not broken, what factors would cause a Pi, or a computer in general, not to see any WiFi networks?

Dirk
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Julius Hamilton
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  • Have you done the steps in the answer "similar question"? – MatsK Aug 29 '21 at 19:21
  • What is your Wi-Fi country set to? – CoderMike Aug 29 '21 at 19:29
  • @CoderMike I don't know, how do I check? – Julius Hamilton Aug 29 '21 at 19:36
  • @MatsK I can try them but that situation seems different because they're using Raspberry Pi OS. I think the problem might be on the Ubuntu level actually. So I posted my question to Ask Ubuntu. I am also not able to load webpages even with an Ethernet cable attached. I think there is something really strange in my internet settings. I will try to re-flash the operating system. – Julius Hamilton Aug 29 '21 at 19:40
  • Ok, I had the same issue with "Raspberry Pi OS" and a Raspberry Pi 4, and after updating it via Ethernet the WiFi just started to work magically. – MatsK Aug 30 '21 at 08:29

1 Answers1

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In your comment, you said:

the problem might be on the Ubuntu level actually. So I posted my question to Ask Ubuntu

I feel certain you're correct. While Ubuntu and RPi OS are both Debian derivatives, there are substantial differences between the two distributions. In particular, network management might be considered "completely different" - at least in terms of their default network toolsets :

  • Ubuntu relies mostly on NetworkManager for network configuration and device management.

  • RPi OS is more de-centralized, using dhcpcd, wpa-supplicant (for example), and other legacy tools to accomplish the same objectives.

For this reason, your decision to post on Ask Ubuntu is a sound choice. I might go so far as to say that all networking questions for users of Ubuntu on the RPi platform should be considered "off-topic". But I've digressed with that opinion - question closures will likely continue to be determined in ad hoc fashion as they are now.

Seamus
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