my laptop won't pick up the wifi signal from my home router

There are different Wifi prototols are you sure your router is using one that your laptop card is capable of receiving?

Wifi protocols.. like WEP and WAP??
It's a brand new HP so it should. Is there a way I can check this??
THanks Robert!

You'll need to make sure your new router is able to give your computer an IP address otherwise you will get the limited connectivity notice. A work around is to assign your laptop an IP address in the same range.

We'd need more details about your setup to tell you how to do this.

Is this the only router on your network? Does it plug directly into your modem? Have you assigned an IP address to your laptop already? (rt click network places>properties>wireless connection>properties>Internet protocol (TCP/IP) highlight and properties.

Make sure it is set to obtain an IP address automatically.

If all else fails, RTFM.

I was talking about 802.11b, 802.11a, 802.11g, and 802.11n. But if it's a brand new computer it is unlikely, but still possible, to be an issue. What McG told you is DHCP, but that is the step after you pick up the signal, so you should still be able to see the router and that would be something you want to look at if you are unable to acquire an IP address after connecting to it.

So with all that in mind the only thing I can think of off the top of my head is that it might not be broadcasting SSID (the id of your router, e.g. "My wireless network"). The default settings for a wireless router are usually to broadcast this name every few seconds, which makes it easier for devices to discover the network and connect to it.

You might want to check your router configuration to see if this has been disabled.

One other thing, make sure the wireless card is enabled. My laptop has a switch on the side that turns wireless on/off. Sometimes my kids turn it off on me and I start to troubleshoot it and remember to always start with the obvious.