rags, my Rog says (I should just copy and paste that everywhere:-) only the modem has to be connected to the cable and yes, the USB wireless card will work fine with the modem in the room with the connection and the computer in the other room. No need for any cables attached to the computer, though you certainly can do it that way. We have the cable plugged into my computer, but Rog runs his and my laptop via wireless.