sudo apt-get install bcmwl-kernel-source  # Broadcom 802.11 Linux STA wireless driver source
sudo apt-get install broadcom-sta-common
sudo apt-get install broadcom-sta-source
sudo apt-get install b43-fwcutter        # Broadcom 43xx firmware extraction tool
sudo apt-get install firmware-b43-installer

After installing these packages, your wireless adapter should be recognized. Some users recommend running:

sudo modprobe -r b43 ssb
sudo modprobe b43

This step requires testing as results may vary. Next, we'll use nmcli to connect to Wi-Fi networks. Wireless adapters are typically named wlan0, wlp3s0, etc. First, ensure NetworkManager is installed:

apt install network-manager

For regular home Wi-Fi networks, use this command to connect:

nmcli dev wifi connect "NetworkName" password "YourPassword"

For hidden SSID networks, additional steps are needed:

nmcli con modify "YourConnectionName" wifi-sec.key-mgmt wpa-psk
nmcli con modify "YourConnectionName" wifi-sec.psk "YourPassword"
nmcli con up "YourConnectionName"
sudo nmcli conn modify "YourConnectionName" connection.autoconnect yes

Testing revealed that automatic connection after reboot sometimes fails. For more reliable startup connections, set up a manual connection script:

echo -e '[Install] \n WantedBy=multi-user.target' >> /usr/lib/systemd/system/rc-local.service

Create the rc.local file:

#!/bin/bash 
nmcli con up "YourConnectionName" 
exit 0

Then make it executable and enable the service:

chmod +x /etc/rc.local 
sudo systemctl daemon-reload 
sudo systemctl enable rc-local 
sudo systemctl start rc-local 

For manual IP address configuration:

sudo nmcli connection modify "YourConnectionName" \
  ipv4.method manual \
  ipv4.addresses 192.168.1.100/24 \
  ipv4.gateway 192.168.1.1 \
  ipv4.dns 8.8.8.8,8.8.4.4

Wi-Fi configuration files are typically stored in NetworkManager's configuration directory. In Debian-based systems like Ubuntu, they're located in /etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/. Each Wi-Fi connection has its own configuration file with the same name as the connection. These files are stored in plain text but only readable by root users.

[connection]
id=YourConnectionName
uuid=3eb64166-ef58-422b-9845-927069453c4e
type=wifi
interface-name=wlp2s0
timestamp=1691041051
bridge=br0

[wifi]
mode=infrastructure
ssid=YourNetworkName

[wifi-security]
key-mgmt=wpa-psk
psk=YourPassword

[ipv4]
address1=192.168.1.100/24,192.168.1.1
dns=8.8.8.8;8.8.4.4
method=manual

[ipv6]
addr-gen-mode=stable-privacy
method=auto

[proxy]