I installed Arch Linux on my PC for the first time. The installation completed successfully, and the system detects my network adapter, but I initially couldn't connect to the internet. The adapter works normally on my other devices. What should I check to get networking working? Update: NetworkManager was disabled, and enabling it fixed the issue.
2 Answers
First check the exact make, model, and chipset of the adapter. Detection alone doesn’t guarantee that the correct driver is installed, especially with Wi-Fi USB adapters. The chipset determines which driver and firmware you need. It’s also worth checking the distribution’s networking and driver troubleshooting documentation.
Arch usually expects you to set up several basics yourself, including drivers, networking services, DNS, and routing. If the adapter is detected but has no connection, verify that the appropriate driver is loaded and that a network service is running. Other beginner-friendly distributions often configure these automatically during installation.
The problem turned out to be that NetworkManager was disabled. I enabled it, and the internet started working normally.