Hmm... If your router seems to be operating like it should (it really doesn't even need an internet connection for the laptop to connect), and you just installed it, my guess would be that the SSID broadcast is disabled. You would have to log into your router and check the wireless section to see if it is. If so, you can leave it that way (which is actually what I would recommend, for security) and setup the network manually on your laptop, or enable the broadcast and connect it like you normally would. If you decide to leave it disabled, then you will need to make a network connection manually on your laptop. You will need to put in the SSID, WEP/WPA passkey (if you have one), and you will have to make sure that you have the option "connect even if this device is not broadcasting" checked. Once you do that, it should work. When your SSID isn't broadcasting, its making itself pretty much invisible to other devices. You can learn more about this here, if you wish.