Wireless chip problems

I recently moved into an apartment with some friends. We have internet access set up through one of my roommate's rooms. We have a wireless router set up out of that room for the rest of us. That being said, I got a laptop about a year ago. The computer came with a wireless chip that I didn't even know was there until a friend told me about it. The problem is I don't know how to setup the chip/connection on my computer in order to connect to the router. Any help with this would be appreciated.