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Y'know, @hp@twitter, in an age when everything needs to access a network to get anything done, integrating a network device that doesn't have driver support built in to a supported OS is not smart.
I shouldn't have to buy a generic wifi dongle to download & install a wifi driver.
@00dani Nope. You have to shop for ages to find a laptop with an on-board ethernet port these days. Manufacturers expect you to pay extra to carry around a USB-C ethernet dongle if you need to plug in a cable.
It seems the hardware was fine, but a brand new ethernet-free lappy fresh-installed with a manufacturer-supported OS according to the manufacturer support phone desk's instructions didn't have a compatible driver. Does anyone even think about driver availability?
Insert the generic dongle, pick a wifi network, lock up for lunch. Come back, eject dongle, and presto! The on-board wifi does what it should've done if the manufacturer thought for five seconds about the driver.