Linux and wireless does seem to be quite hit and miss, especially with old(er) kit.
There's a lot of problems with chipset manufacturers not releasing Linux drivers (why???) and being the opposite of helpful in allowing the Linux community to access their code to develop their own (again, why????).
In many cases, the answer has been to use the windows NDIS driver with a Linux wrapper, but this is not entirely satisfactory.
I've tried and failed several times to get various Linuces working with wifi cards on desktop and laptop PCs - OK, not recent kit, about 8-9 years old (but that's all I've got to play with right now).
On the bright side, you will immeasurably increase your understanding of Linux and networking if you persevere (and hopefully succeed), but that may not actually be your objective!
Good luck!
SD