I had a similar situation happen where it thought that my wireless device was an ethernet device shortly after the NM upgrade. Sometimes it's detected properly and I see networks in NM's applet, other times it gets confused and thinks it's an ethernet device.
Snapshot of my kernel log when this happened (notice I don't have ath5) Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 NetworkManager[746]: <info> [1460650830.3813] Loaded device plugin: NMWifiFactory (/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/NetworkManager/libnm-device-plugin-wifi.so) Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 systemd[1]: Stopping User Manager for UID 0... Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 NetworkManager[746]: <info> [1460650830.3872] Loaded device plugin: NMWwanFactory (/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/NetworkManager/libnm-device-plugin-wwan.so) Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 systemd[879]: Stopped target Default. Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 systemd[879]: Reached target Shutdown. Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 systemd[879]: Stopped target Basic System. Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 kernel: [ 5.004938] IPv6: ADDRCONF(NETDEV_UP): wlp58s0: link is not ready Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 systemd[879]: Stopped target Paths. Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 systemd[879]: Stopped target Timers. Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 systemd[879]: Stopped target Sockets. Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 NetworkManager[746]: <info> [1460650830.3914] Loaded device plugin: NMBluezManager (/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/NetworkManager/libnm-device-plugin-bluetooth.so) Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 NetworkManager[746]: <info> [1460650830.3931] Loaded device plugin: NMAtmManager (/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/NetworkManager/libnm-device-plugin-adsl.so) Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 NetworkManager[746]: nm_device_get_device_type: assertion 'NM_IS_DEVICE (self)' failed Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 NetworkManager[746]: <info> [1460650830.3946] device (lo): link connected Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 NetworkManager[746]: <info> [1460650830.3951] manager: (lo): new Generic device (/org/freedesktop/NetworkManager/Devices/0) Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 NetworkManager[746]: <info> [1460650830.3965] manager: startup complete Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 NetworkManager[746]: <info> [1460650830.3986] urfkill disappeared from the bus Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 NetworkManager[746]: <info> [1460650830.3999] device (wlp58s0): driver '(null)' does not support carrier detection. Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 NetworkManager[746]: <info> [1460650830.4000] device (wlp58s0): driver 'brcmfmac' does not support carrier detection. Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 NetworkManager[746]: <info> [1460650830.4005] manager: (wlp58s0): new Ethernet device (/org/freedesktop/NetworkManager/Devices/1) Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 NetworkManager[746]: <info> [1460650830.4012] keyfile: add connection in-memory (5fd0e64b-3ac0-4914-bfa0-fc77b53f5e3c,"Wired connection 1") Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 NetworkManager[746]: <info> [1460650830.4016] settings: (wlp58s0): created default wired connection 'Wired connection 1' Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 NetworkManager[746]: <info> [1460650830.4022] device (wlp58s0): state change: unmanaged -> unavailable (reason 'managed') [10 20 2] Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 systemd[879]: Starting Exit the Session... Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 systemd[879]: Received SIGRTMIN+24 from PID 894 (kill). Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 systemd[1]: Created slice User Slice of root. Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 systemd[1]: Started Session c2 of user root. Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 systemd[1]: Starting User Manager for UID 0... Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 systemd[902]: Reached target Sockets. Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 systemd[902]: Reached target Paths. Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 systemd[902]: Reached target Timers. Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 systemd[902]: Reached target Basic System. Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 systemd[902]: Reached target Default. Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 systemd[902]: Startup finished in 11ms. Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 systemd[1]: Started User Manager for UID 0. Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 kernel: [ 5.041531] brcmf_add_if: ERROR: netdev:wlp58s0 already exists Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 kernel: [ 5.041535] brcmf_add_if: ignore IF event Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 kernel: [ 5.044746] IPv6: ADDRCONF(NETDEV_UP): wlp58s0: link is not ready Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 NetworkManager[746]: <info> [1460650830.4465] bluez: use BlueZ version 5 Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 NetworkManager[746]: <info> [1460650830.4470] device (wlp58s0): state change: unavailable -> disconnected (reason 'none') [20 30 0] Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 kernel: [ 5.049724] IPv6: ADDRCONF(NETDEV_UP): wlp58s0: link is not ready Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 NetworkManager[746]: <info> [1460650830.4477] policy: auto-activating connection 'Wired connection 1' Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 systemd[1]: Stopping User Manager for UID 0... Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 systemd[902]: Stopped target Default. Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 systemd[902]: Reached target Shutdown. Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 NetworkManager[746]: <info> [1460650830.4495] ofono is now available Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 systemd[902]: Starting Exit the Session... Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 NetworkManager[746]: <info> [1460650830.4503] device (wlp58s0): Activation: starting connection 'Wired connection 1' (5fd0e64b-3ac0-4914-bfa0-fc77b53f5e3c) Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 NetworkManager[746]: <info> [1460650830.4505] device (wlp58s0): state change: disconnected -> prepare (reason 'none') [30 40 0] Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 NetworkManager[746]: <info> [1460650830.4506] manager: NetworkManager state is now CONNECTING Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 NetworkManager[746]: <info> [1460650830.4510] device (wlp58s0): state change: prepare -> config (reason 'none') [40 50 0] Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 systemd[902]: Stopped target Basic System. Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 systemd[902]: Stopped target Timers. Apr 14 12:20:30 t-XPS-13-9350 whoopsie[718]: [12:20:30] offline -- You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu Touch seeded packages, which is subscribed to network-manager in Ubuntu. https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1569590 Title: wireless card disabled in network-manager Status in network-manager package in Ubuntu: Triaged Bug description: Using xenial on Asus EeePC 900 Network manager has worked fine with the wireless card on this machine, until the update of 12 April. Now the wireless card appears greyed out in the nm-applet interface with no SSIDs visible. Ethernet still works. wicd works on this machine, but I'd prefer not to have to install that. ProblemType: Bug DistroRelease: Ubuntu 16.04 Package: network-manager 1.1.93-0ubuntu3 ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.4.0-18.34-generic 4.4.6 Uname: Linux 4.4.0-18-generic i686 ApportVersion: 2.20.1-0ubuntu1 Architecture: i386 Date: Wed Apr 13 09:55:01 2016 IfupdownConfig: # interfaces(5) file used by ifup(8) and ifdown(8) # Include files from /etc/network/interfaces.d: source-directory /etc/network/interfaces.d IpRoute: default via 192.168.1.1 dev enp3s0 proto static metric 100 192.168.1.0/24 dev enp3s0 proto kernel scope link src 192.168.1.67 metric 100 IwConfig: Error: [Errno 2] No such file or directory: 'iwconfig' NetworkManager.state: [main] NetworkingEnabled=true WirelessEnabled=true WWANEnabled=true WimaxEnabled=true RfKill: Error: [Errno 2] No such file or directory: 'rfkill' SourcePackage: network-manager UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install) nmcli-dev: DEVICE TYPE STATE DBUS-PATH CONNECTION CON-UUID CON-PATH enp3s0 ethernet connected /org/freedesktop/NetworkManager/Devices/1 Wired connection 1 745074e0-abba-4f29-8c5d-1bcfbcb13e3a /org/freedesktop/NetworkManager/ActiveConnection/0 wlp1s0 ethernet unavailable /org/freedesktop/NetworkManager/Devices/2 -- -- -- lo loopback unmanaged /org/freedesktop/NetworkManager/Devices/0 -- -- -- nmcli-nm: Error: command ['nmcli', '-f', 'all', 'nm'] failed with exit code 2: Error: Object 'nm' is unknown, try 'nmcli help'. 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