Trying to connect to the internet, no WiFi symbol in the top right

Question

Title says it all. I'm trying to connect to my WiFi network, but the WiFi icon that's supposed to be in the top right corner is no where to be seen.

Answer 1

There should be Network or internet connection option in top panel (generally right side). Also Check if the wifi is enabled or not in settings or using a wifi enabling switch (generally on laptop). Also you can try to connect your pc to a wired connection and download latest updates and also if a proprietary driver is available (check from settings in software sources under additional drivers) try that.

Answer 2

Use a USB external WiFi adapter until the problem is solved. It should definitely connect. If it does, lets get started.

Most probably, the issue is with firmware. Try installing ath10k firmware using the following commands(exactly) in the terminal:

sudo apt-get install git
git clone https://github.com/sumdog/ath10k-firmware.git
cd ath10k-firmware/ath10k
sudo cp -r QCA6174/  /lib/firmware/ath10k
sudo chmod +x /lib/firmware/ath10k/QCA6174/hw2.1/*
sudo modprobe -r ath10k_pci  &&  sudo modprobe ath10k_pci
sudo -i
echo "options ath10k_core skip_otp=y"  >  /etc/modprobe.d/ath10k_core.conf
exit

Remove the USB external WiFi Adapter and reboot your system. Now, check for the wireless connection. If it doesn't show any improvement, let's install a newer kernel version:

wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v4.4.8-wily/linux-headers-4.4.8-040408-generic_4.4.8-040408.201604200335_amd64.deb
wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v4.4.8-wily/linux-headers-4.4.8-040408_4.4.8-040408.201604200335_all.deb
wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v4.4.8-wily/linux-image-4.4.8-040408-generic_4.4.8-040408.201604200335_amd64.deb
sudo dpkg -i linux*.deb
sudo -i
echo "options ath10k_core skip_otp=y"  >  /etc/modprobe.d/ath10k_core.conf
exit

Reboot. If the correct firmware is installed, the wireless should now be working.