Ubuntu Server 16.04 not detecting wifi card

This turns out to be a relatively simple issue.

This command is my go-to for internet connection diagnostics, but it wasn't showing my wifi card.

ifconfig

This shows all interfaces, not just the activated ones.

ifconfig -a

to activate a hardware device after determining its name, run:

ifconfig "device name" up

Bonus: this gives you way more than you'll ever need to know about the hardware capabilities of the device.

iw list