Why "Headless" OP? Lost my Wifi connect to Internet

[Will]

New to OP, and trying to be very systematic in testing things before throwing them together.   Thus last weekend I set up a RPI 4 with 8 gb and tested with 32 bit Raspian install and used VNC to get RPI and iPad talking.  I used an AT&T hotspot box and ran both remote control and have a continuous internet connection.  No fuss...even if I'm outside cell range, the hotspot box serves as the wifi hub (haven't noticed any latency in that setup).

So today I thought I'd setup the "Headless" version...and lost internet connectivity.  It'd be OK if I could *at least* toggle the wifi, but this is a pain.  And worse...how is one supposed to use the chart downloader in OP if the wifi is locked down to just the peer to peer connection? 

I mulled simply adding the software I needed piece-by-piece to my own Raspian build, but though a programmer in an earlier life, the advanced setup looks to be a pain.  I have a Pi and hotspot that together pull < 4.5 amps at 12 volts...I'd like the Pi system to be functional away from the dock...and for applications beyond OP.

So the question is, am I losing anything significant by using the base build and VNC for remote connection?

Will

[Sailoog]

the built-in wifi device of the Raspberry can be set as an access point or as a client. There is an experimental mode to make the device work as both of them but it does not always works.

If you want to have an access point and a client you need an extra wifi usb dongle, openplotter is ready for that.

Another option is to use an external access point and connect all your devices to it including the raspberry. you will be able to connect to openplotter from any device in the same network.

[wingdoctor]

the built-in wifi device of the Raspberry can be set as an access point or as a client. There is an experimental mode to make the device work as both of them but it does not always works.

If you want to have an access point and a client you need an extra wifi usb dongle, openplotter is ready for that.

Another option is to use an external access point and connect all your devices to it including the raspberry. you will be able to connect to openplotter from any device in the same network.

Wow I cannot believe I found my answer so quickly. I was blaming my crappy brand new Pi 4 for not having wifi. I did try the extra dongle since I had one and this allowed me to connect to wifi. In spite of this I wanted to find the real reason for this bug and I wasted so many hours trying to fix this - I wish I had checked here first. This should be posted in a prominent place to save others from heart ache. Thanks