Okay, here's a new one for you guys (by the way, I found out how to help my friend install her AOL dial up and we cleaned her cache and she's a happy camper now.)

Now here's yet another of my dumb questions for you.

If and when I buy a laptop, WHY DO I HAVE TO USE A ROUTER?

Can't I just go into another room, (where I have a phone splitter thingee coming out of the phone jack in the wall), and can't I just plug the laptop into that thing? Of course I would have to have an electric outlet also (if I don't want to use battery life, right).

so all I want to know is why do I have to install a router in my computer? I know what a router does. I don't plan on leaving my house with the laptop. I just plan on using it in the kitchen or another room.

I know people with two or three computers in the house (each kid has one). No one has a laptop so no routers needed.

I believe that you can have more than one computer in the house if you have Verizon DSL, which I have.

Before I call them and make a fool of myself, I just want to be absolutely sure that I can go out, buy a laptop, go sit in the living room, plug the electrical part of it into my electrical outlet, plug the phone part of it into the phone thingee on the bottom of my wall (there is also a filter on that phone thingee so I don't need a new filter right?) Can I do this?

Thanks

Melody