Headless Ubuntu setup w/o keyboard

Question

So I'm wanting to setup Ubuntu on my Raspberry Pi 4b. and I don't have access to a USB keyboard at the moment. So, I know you can add ssh to the boot directory and do a complete headless setup but ... You have to be in the network obviously. Without an Ethernet cable is that a way to auto config to a wlan by adding a text file? Like with ssh. I have a laptop with an SD card reader.
Follow up question: if the answer is yes, can I do this after I already attempted to boot or do I need to reflash the sdcard and add the file prior to first boot?

Joachim · Accepted Answer

Have a look in the system folder that gets created when you've made the SD card. There's a file called "network". Open this up and add your WiFi credentials.
It's important that you do this on the first boot, as this file is only read on initial boot.
When the pi is up running you'll be able to find the device IP on the network through the router or by running nmap. If you want to use nmap you'll simply install it with apt install nmap and then
nmap -sn "router gateway"/24
When you've located the device and the IP you'll be able to ssh into it with the username and password ubuntu, e.g.
ssh ubuntu@ip-address
You'll be asked to change password on first login.

Headless Ubuntu setup w/o keyboard

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