Another possibility is that some wireless interfaces need firmware. Some firmware licensing does not allow distribution with the install disk but it can be downloaded, with the license, subsequently.
On first run,
fw_update(1) will offer to download and install the firmware, If you did not have a network connection on first run, you may be missing the firmware.
If you are able to connect via the NIC, I would try to execute
and watch to see if anything installs.