Thanks for that, I checked my Xubuntu and it's 5.15.0-30-generic kernel and the wireless device says it's driver r8188eu - everything works there and also on Mint and Pop! OS I never had any problem, the cheap Asus wifi dongle always worked straight out of the box.
Will try a different kernel, sounds too difficult for a newbie but what the heck, such a huge disappointment as Zorin seemed like such a polished product, everything else works like a charm.