Bought a new laptop

I feel like I’m finally keeping up with the times of technology. I just purchased a new laptop. I have had a desktop computer for a while now, but I’ve been wanting to buy a laptop for when I travel out of state to visit friends and family. I’m keeping my desktop though since it’s in good working condition. Someone suggested I should buy a router, and I’ll admit I didn’t even know what routers were. I felt stupid asking, but come to find out, it’s basically like a cable modem. It just feeds the signal from the modem and home computer and makes for a clear and steady signal to be able to use my laptop at home. At least that’s how I understand it.