wireless and wired networks combined... need help

[justinlee3158]

i recently bought a new laptop, its a dell inspiron b130 and contains a dell wireless 1370 WLAN mini-PCI card. my dad already has a router (not wireless) set up for our home. its a d-link ethernet broadband router, model number DI-604. I have heard that I cannot just buy any wireless router and connect the two, as it can potentially offset the other (?)... and instead I should buy a access point (is that correct?). anyone have any info on this, i havent been able to find specific examples and in my searches on various sites (i.e. tigerdirect.com or bestbuy) i have yet to find anything that could clue me in on what to buy. I would appreciate any help available, especially an example of what to get with the brand and model type or whatever. thanks.

[GX1_Man]

In the end the router has to have wireless capability to "connect" to a wireless peripheral. A wireless router is about $50 or so (or less after rebates). Maybe it's just time to replace the router?

[justinlee3158]

i understand that, but i also know that not just any wireless router will be compatible with the router we already have. and my dad does not want to replace the wired router we have as he just bought it not too long ago. this wireless router is for my computer only, so i've got to get one that will work with his. i may have figured out the solution as i was researching access point and wireless routers... some wireless routers have the capability to act as an access point with a wired router or can stand alone as a singular router, or i can just get the access point (which wouldnt be able to stand on its own in future use). id just like someone to confirm this or tell me i'm way off. i wish i could just buy any wireless router and replace the one we have, but its not an option as my dad doesnt want to have to buy a wireless card for the family computer just because i bought something that replaced what he already had.

[GX1_Man]

Why on earth do you feel you need more than one router, regardless of when it was bought. That will complicate things greatly. A wireless router has 4 wired ports as well, so everyone is happy.