I notice there are many network issues with Linux in general, not just Lite, same as described in the OP. I tried several distros before settling down with Lite, and I had the same problem with some of them (Mint, MX, even Lubuntu), not just with networking, but with touchpad, keyboard, etc...
Looks like the live environment is kind of a demo mode, to make you want to install. Once you've done that, you discover that what worked perfectly when running live in RAM doesn't work anymore, and that's why Linux has trouble gaining traction with the average user.
Those things should work out of the box 99.9% of the time, barring your running some exotic hardware (I have not-so-fond memories of Alps touchpad on Toshiba laptops working perfectly in Ubuntu live, then completely falling apart after install). That's far from the case.
Users should be able to save the live environment parameters and settings upon install, instead of having to customize their install from scratch. Once the partitioning is done and the users are created, I don't see why an option to save the current (live) parameters and settings could not the offered to the user.
My two cents on the subject. I have enough irons in the fire myself with Lite at the moment... :-)