We received a laptop as a gift from Dave's family. Is it better to get a wireless router for it since we already have a broadband connection from our cable company or is it preferable to get a wireless card and nix the other connection?

huh? :) maybe I am misreading ..... if you want the laptop to connect to the broadband connection sans wires you'll need a wireles router or a gateway .... most people would go for the router unless you are just extending a current network. Most laptops sold now include a wireless LAN card in them,I would suspect yours does ... if not you'll need to get a wireless LAN card.

so basically you need the ISP's modem (cable in your case, you have the modem already) connected to a wireless router, and the laptop would connect to the router wirelessly via a wireless LAN card (a 802.11g NIC, probably allready build in).

It has wifi, but I'm pretty much useless when it comes to this stuff.

lol :) .... If you want to take advantage of the wireless capabilities of the laptop (most folks would) ... you most likely will want to get a 802.11g wireless router ... something like a linksys wrt54g (that's what I have). usually the configuraton is simple and stratight foward...

one issue you may run into is that if your ISP (cable company) regulates connections based on MAC addresses you'll need to configure the router to spoof the MAC address of the PC currently connected ... or call them up and have them reset it so that the routers MAC will work. its not too likely you'll run into this, but i did not want to tell you "its easy as shit" and have you run into this issue and be like "damn that Notch, he's such a dickhead!" lol ... other then that... it should be just a matter of following the instructions, linksys does a great job with theirs, not sure about other manufacturers.

Your laptop's wireless needs to connect to an access point somewhere, and that access point will have a wired connection. If you happen to have a neighbor within range and you never ever send any data that you wouldn't want them to see, then you could leech off their connection, but I pretty seriously doubt that's what you want. Many broadband providers nowadays give you a wireless access point as part of the package, but they're often junky. I have one that came as part of my Verizon Fios install, for example, but I couldn't even connect from the bedroom let alone downstairs so as soon as the Verizon guy left I switched back to the one I'd been using before. They're cheap, and nowadays they're easy to set up, so if I were you I'd just go down to the local electronics store and grab one.

You can get a WiWAN card, but they're pricey for the monthly service. It probably has a wireless card built in. I'd just keep the wifi router.

lol :) .... If you want to take advantage of the wireless capabilities of the laptop (most folks would) ... you most likely will want to get a 802.11g wireless router ... something like a linksys wrt54g (that's what I have). usually the configuraton is simple and stratight foward...

one issue you may run into is that if your ISP (cable company) regulates connections based on MAC addresses you'll need to configure the router to spoof the MAC address of the PC currently connected ... or call them up and have them reset it so that the routers MAC will work. its not too likely you'll run into this, but i did not want to tell you "its easy as shit" and have you run into this issue and be like "damn that Notch, he's such a dickhead!" lol ... other then that... it should be just a matter of following the instructions, linksys does a great job with theirs, not sure about other manufacturers.
So a call to comcast is in order. :)
Your laptop's wireless needs to connect to an access point somewhere, and that access point will have a wired connection. If you happen to have a neighbor within range and you never ever send any data that you wouldn't want them to see, then you could leech off their connection, but I pretty seriously doubt that's what you want. Many broadband providers nowadays give you a wireless access point as part of the package, but they're often junky. I have one that came as part of my Verizon Fios install, for example, but I couldn't even connect from the bedroom let alone downstairs so as soon as the Verizon guy left I switched back to the one I'd been using before. They're cheap, and nowadays they're easy to set up, so if I were you I'd just go down to the local electronics store and grab one.
the wifi detects a lot of local networks, but there's a comcast prompt to log in so I don't know if that's useful or not.
You can get a WiWAN card, but they're pricey for the monthly service. It probably has a wireless card built in. I'd just keep the wifi router.
I guess my question was whether the router would be cheaper than having a wireless card. I guess I have my answer. :)

So a call to comcast is in order. :)

the wifi detects a lot of local networks, but there's a comcast prompt to log in so I don't know if that's useful or not.

I guess my question was whether the router would be cheaper than having a wireless card. I guess I have my answer. :)

you may not need to call them .... most of the time you do not.

the wireless card Gibson is talking about it a Wireless Wide area network card ... its like having another cell phone, the card "talks" straight to the cell towers (from like verizon or sprint or AT&T or what ever they're called now) and there is a montly service charge associated with them (like a cell phone) ... the wifi card in your laptop is most likely a Wireless Local Area Network card ... using the 802.11g wireles stanard most likely, this device is as implied by the name, for connecting to a Local Area Network wirelessly (you home's network ... using a wireless router and an ISP(the cable modem) would be the local area network ... or if in an appt or condo you may be able to leach of someone elses wireless LAN as Playt described .. this practice is not a good one)