Public service Q&A: Wifi adapter can see networks, but cannot connect without unplugging and then plugging

Here is what happened to me: I am a new Ubuntu/Linux user coming from Windows. I am using a TP-LINK TL WN823N RTL8192EU wifi adapter to connect to the internet. When I boot my desktop, Ubuntu sees the wifi networks available, but cannot connect to my wifi. I have to unplug the wireless adapter and then plug it again for Ubuntu be able to connect to the wifi.

Here is the relevant portion of lshw -C network output:

*-network
       description: Wireless interface
       physical id: 1
       bus info: usb@5:2.3
       logical name: wlxd037454e0e5f
       serial: d0:37:45:4e:0e:5f
       capabilities: ethernet physical wireless
       configuration: broadcast=yes driver=rtl8xxxu ip=192.168.0.111 multicast=yes wireless=IEEE 802.11bgn

and lsusb output:

Bus 006 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
Bus 005 Device 003: ID 2357:0109 TP-Link TL WN823N RTL8192EU
Bus 005 Device 002: ID 214b:7250  USB2.0 HUB
Bus 005 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
Bus 001 Device 004: ID 8564:7000 Transcend Information, Inc. StoreJet Transcend
Bus 001 Device 003: ID 046d:c534 Logitech, Inc. Unifying Receiver
Bus 001 Device 005: ID 2516:0051 Cooler Master Co., Ltd. AMD SR4 lamplight Control
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 1c4f:0002 SiGma Micro Keyboard TRACER Gamma Ivory
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub

There are many questions on askubuntu about this problem, but none were accepted by the questioners and didn’t work for me. That’s why I am posing the question and adding my solution to it.