20.04: Realtek RTL8188EE WiFi unavailable until rebooted
Olivia Zamora 
Sometime when I boot the Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, WiFi through a Realtek RTL8188EE based adapter is unavailable but after a reboot, it is OK. I noticed WiFi is hidden and failed when trying to connect. But after a reboot, WiFi is available to connect. Please add your comment below if you require more info.
When WiFi is available the output is:
lshw|grep -A15 'network\|Wireless' *-network description: Wireless interface product: RTL8188EE Wireless Network Adapter vendor: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. physical id: 0 bus info: pci@0000:02:00.0 logical name: wlp2s0 version: 01 serial: 90:48:9a:e5:08:12 width: 64 bits clock: 33MHz capabilities: pm msi pciexpress bus_master cap_list ethernet physical wireless configuration: broadcast=yes driver=rtl8188ee driverversion=5.4.0-18-generic firmware=N/A ip=192.168.0.120 latency=0 link=yes multicast=yes wireless=IEEE 802.11 resources: irq:97 ioport:2000(size=256) memory:90700000-90703fff *-pci:2 description: PCI bridge product: Atom Processor E3800 Series PCI Express Root Port 3 vendor: Intel Corporation
-- *-network description: Ethernet interface product: RTL810xE PCI Express Fast Ethernet controller vendor: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. physical id: 0 bus info: pci@0000:04:00.0 logical name: enp4s0 version: 07 serial: 64:51:06:a3:5d:8d capacity: 100Mbit/s width: 64 bits clock: 33MHz capabilities: pm msi pciexpress msix vpd bus_master cap_list ethernet physical tp mii 10bt 10bt-fd 100bt 100bt-fd autonegotiation configuration: autonegotiation=on broadcast=yes driver=r8169 firmware=rtl8106e-1_0.0.1 06/29/12 latency=0 link=no multicast=yes port=MII resources: irq:19 ioport:1000(size=256) memory:90500000-90500fff memory:90400000-90403fff *-isaBut when after a fresh reboot the wifi is not available for unknown reasons the output is:
lshw|grep -A15 'network\|Wireless' *-network description: Wireless interface product: RTL8188EE Wireless Network Adapter vendor: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. physical id: 0 bus info: pci@0000:02:00.0 logical name: wlp2s0 version: 01 serial: 90:48:9a:e5:08:12 width: 64 bits clock: 33MHz capabilities: pm msi pciexpress bus_master cap_list ethernet physical wireless configuration: broadcast=yes driver=rtl8188ee driverversion=5.4.0-18-generic firmware=N/A latency=0 link=no multicast=yes wireless=IEEE 802.11 resources: irq:97 ioport:2000(size=256) memory:90700000-90703fff *-pci:2 description: PCI bridge product: Atom Processor E3800 Series PCI Express Root Port 3 vendor: Intel Corporation
-- *-network description: Ethernet interface product: RTL810xE PCI Express Fast Ethernet controller vendor: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. physical id: 0 bus info: pci@0000:04:00.0 logical name: enp4s0 version: 07 serial: 64:51:06:a3:5d:8d capacity: 100Mbit/s width: 64 bits clock: 33MHz capabilities: pm msi pciexpress msix vpd bus_master cap_list ethernet physical tp mii 10bt 10bt-fd 100bt 100bt-fd autonegotiation configuration: autonegotiation=on broadcast=yes driver=r8169 firmware=rtl8106e-1_0.0.1 06/29/12 latency=0 link=no multicast=yes port=MII resources: irq:19 ioport:1000(size=256) memory:90500000-90500fff memory:90400000-90403fff *-isanmcli reports
nmcli device
DEVICE TYPE STATE CONNECTION
wlp2s0 wifi disconnected --
p2p-dev-wlp2s0 wifi-p2p disconnected --
enp4s0 ethernet unavailable --
lo loopback unmanaged --
systemctl status network-manager
● NetworkManager.service - Network Manager Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/NetworkManager.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled) Active: active (running) since Fri 2020-03-27 09:41:09 EDT; 8min ago Docs: man:NetworkManager(8) Main PID: 869 (NetworkManager) Tasks: 3 (limit: 4530) Memory: 13.6M CGroup: / └─869 /usr/sbin/NetworkManager --no-daemon
Mar 27 09:47:48 zika.gattaca.net NetworkManager[869]: <info> [1585316868.3945] Config: added 'psk' value '<hidden>'
Mar 27 09:47:48 zika.gattaca.net NetworkManager[869]: <info> [1585316868.8808] device (wlp2s0): supplicant interface state: ready -> >
Mar 27 09:47:48 zika.gattaca.net NetworkManager[869]: <info> [1585316868.8809] device (p2p-dev-wlp2s0): supplicant management interfa>
Mar 27 09:48:13 zika.gattaca.net NetworkManager[869]: <warn> [1585316893.7773] device (wlp2s0): Activation: (wifi) association took t>
Mar 27 09:48:13 zika.gattaca.net NetworkManager[869]: <info> [1585316893.7775] device (wlp2s0): state change: config -> failed (reaso>
Mar 27 09:48:13 zika.gattaca.net NetworkManager[869]: <info> [1585316893.7817] manager: NetworkManager state is now DISCONNECTED
Mar 27 09:48:13 zika.gattaca.net NetworkManager[869]: <warn> [1585316893.7896] device (wlp2s0): Activation: failed for connection 'TP>
Mar 27 09:48:13 zika.gattaca.net NetworkManager[869]: <info> [1585316893.7899] device (wlp2s0): supplicant interface state: scanning >
Mar 27 09:48:13 zika.gattaca.net NetworkManager[869]: <info> [1585316893.7899] device (p2p-dev-wlp2s0): supplicant management interfa>
Mar 27 09:48:13 zika.gattaca.net NetworkManager[869]: <info> [1585316893.7907] device (wlp2s0): state change: failed -> disconnected >
lines 1-20/20 (END)systemctl restart network-manager
and the status again:
systemctl status network-manager
● NetworkManager.service - Network Manager Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/NetworkManager.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled) Active: active (running) since Fri 2020-03-27 09:51:23 EDT; 6s ago Docs: man:NetworkManager(8) Main PID: 5610 (NetworkManager) Tasks: 4 (limit: 4530) Memory: 4.0M CGroup: / └─5610 /usr/sbin/NetworkManager --no-daemon
Mar 27 09:51:24 zika.gattaca.net NetworkManager[5610]: <info> [1585317084.8175] device (wlp2s0): supplicant interface state: init -> >
Mar 27 09:51:24 zika.gattaca.net NetworkManager[5610]: <info> [1585317084.8201] agent-manager: agent[45a189872a88eb2a,:1.141/org.free>
Mar 27 09:51:24 zika.gattaca.net NetworkManager[5610]: <info> [1585317084.8882] sup-iface[0x55d47af5a100,wlp2s0]: supports 4 scan SSI>
Mar 27 09:51:24 zika.gattaca.net NetworkManager[5610]: <info> [1585317084.8915] device (wlp2s0): supplicant interface state: starting>
Mar 27 09:51:24 zika.gattaca.net NetworkManager[5610]: <info> [1585317084.8917] Wi-Fi P2P device controlled by interface wlp2s0 creat>
Mar 27 09:51:24 zika.gattaca.net NetworkManager[5610]: <info> [1585317084.8925] manager: (p2p-dev-wlp2s0): new 802.11 Wi-Fi P2P devic>
Mar 27 09:51:24 zika.gattaca.net NetworkManager[5610]: <info> [1585317084.8940] device (p2p-dev-wlp2s0): state change: unmanaged -> u>
Mar 27 09:51:24 zika.gattaca.net NetworkManager[5610]: <info> [1585317084.8959] device (p2p-dev-wlp2s0): state change: unavailable ->>
Mar 27 09:51:24 zika.gattaca.net NetworkManager[5610]: <info> [1585317084.8966] device (wlp2s0): state change: unavailable -> disconn>
Mar 27 09:51:24 zika.gattaca.net NetworkManager[5610]: <warn> [1585317084.9289] sup-iface: failed to cancel p2p connect: P2P cancel f>
lines 1-20/20 (END)when working;
● NetworkManager.service - Network Manager Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/NetworkManager.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled) Active: active (running) since Sun 2020-05-17 15:13:40 EDT; 19min ago Docs: man:NetworkManager(8) Main PID: 966 (NetworkManager) Tasks: 3 (limit: 4530) Memory: 10.5M CGroup: / └─966 /usr/sbin/NetworkManager --no-daemon
May 17 15:13:52 zika.gattaca.net NetworkManager[966]: <info> [1589742832.5544] device (wlp2s0): state change: ip-config -> ip-check (reason 'none', sys-iface-state: 'managed')
May 17 15:13:52 zika.gattaca.net NetworkManager[966]: <info> [1589742832.6459] device (wlp2s0): state change: ip-check -> secondaries (reason 'none', sys-iface-state: 'managed')
May 17 15:13:52 zika.gattaca.net NetworkManager[966]: <info> [1589742832.6479] device (wlp2s0): state change: secondaries -> activated (reason 'none', sys-iface-state: 'managed')
May 17 15:13:52 zika.gattaca.net NetworkManager[966]: <info> [1589742832.6515] manager: NetworkManager state is now CONNECTED_LOCAL
May 17 15:13:52 zika.gattaca.net NetworkManager[966]: <info> [1589742832.6590] manager: NetworkManager state is now CONNECTED_SITE
May 17 15:13:52 zika.gattaca.net NetworkManager[966]: <info> [1589742832.6594] policy: set 'SmartRG-b874' (wlp2s0) as default for IPv4 routing and DNS
May 17 15:13:52 zika.gattaca.net NetworkManager[966]: <info> [1589742832.6607] device (wlp2s0): Activation: successful, device activated.
May 17 15:13:52 zika.gattaca.net NetworkManager[966]: <info> [1589742832.9780] manager: NetworkManager state is now CONNECTED_GLOBAL
May 17 15:13:54 zika.gattaca.net NetworkManager[966]: <info> [1589742834.1467] manager: startup complete
May 17 15:15:13 zika.gattaca.net NetworkManager[966]: <info> [1589742913.0583] agent-manager: agent[68d850ad5d71e914,:1.93/org.freedesktop.nm-applet/1000]: agent registered
