I am just dipping my toes into Linux. I have dual booted Ubuntu on my main machine. Right now I don’t have access at all to a wired connection. I have a TP link archer T2U usb Wi-Fi adapter that I have used and works (on my windows half). However, I can’t use the Wi-Fi adapter because I am missing the drivers on Linux and can’t even install the packages to install the drivers because I am not connected to the internet. My motherboard does not support Wi-Fi so I have to have the adapter and feel stuck without just buying a new adapter that would work innately with Linux.
Debian predates Ubuntu by a long time. Ubuntu was actually started as a repackaged/modernized version of Debian (yes, I know, it’s a gross approximation, live with it). You WILL find anything you need on documentation on debian. Also, you can download the DVD version that has pretty much anything, including dev tools (like gcc and kernel sources) that you can use to build the driver from source (when you download it via windows for example).
As a personal note: trying to add wifi connectivity to linux is also how I cut my teeth on linux 20+ years ago. It is hard if you don’t know what’s going on, but don’t despair: the knowledge you’ll get will be useful for years to come.