tklan lspci reports ethernet controller to be:
Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet Controller (rev 10)
That's your Ethernet (wired) controller.
Try this command: sudo lshw -class network and look for the wireless part of the output.
However, before we go too far down the rabbit hole, you report that your wifi card "seems to be working, finds networks around me, so I click on mine, asks me for a password, but then just spins forever, and never connects". Try rebooting your router and your computer, restarting the router first, and then your computer, and see if that resolves the issue. The issue does not seem to be driver or hardware related, because your wifi adapter seems to be functioning, and the failure seems to be communicating with the router. It is worth a try, anyway.
