I have a wireless card in my laptop. It is not a name-brand wireless card. I also have a Netgear wireless router here at home. When i'm at a hotel, I always go online wireless with my laptop. Why can't I do that here at home? What steps must I take to be able to utilize my wireless laptop here at home, if it's possible?

Most routers have a login to access their settings. Make sure the wireless function on it is enabled. Has anyone ever accessed the router? Also, many of them today automatically set up wireless security. You'll need the WEP key or whatever key is set up for yours if this is the case. That info is also in the router setup, and can be changed to whatever you want.

If you don't feel comfortable going into your router and setting up the wireless settings then
find yourself a geek, there's plenty of us out there that would set your router up for cheap.