Network and WiFi Connection Issues on a New Ubuntu Machine

When setting up a new ubuntu machine, if you encounter an issue that only allows the machine to connect via ethernet, consider these solutions to gain the ability to discover and connect to WiFi networks.

** You must be connected to the internet (via ethernet) to run these commands **

In the terminal, run the following commands to update hardware and driver files necessary to discover and connect to WiFi networks:

          sudo apt-get update

          sudo apt-get install bcmwl-kernel-source

          sudo apt-get install firmware-b43-installer

A reboot will likely be necessary to observe the changes made. 

Note: If these commands do not work for you, it may be because some drivers are specific to the machine you are using. To find out what installs and updates will be needed for your specific machine, type the command, lspci in the terminal, locate the type of Network Controller you have, and search online for the drivers you would need based on your network controller. For example, my machine's network controller is: Broadcom Corporation BCM4321