Wireless network connectivity problem

I have a Dell Inspiron 1545, which has a built-in wireless device--though I never used it until recently, being content to use a direct wired connection. A week and a half ago, I took it overseas and there attempted to use a wireless hotspot at my hotel. But when I tried to use the Network Configuration and Network Device Control applets, nothing operated, nor could I find the network, even after typing in the SSID that the hotel receptionists provided. My fellow travelers were able to use the hotspot, but not I. And I've noticed that with KDE, those two applets don't even have an option to activate or deactivate a network device. The regular Ethernet device says "inactive" though I know it's active, because I'm using it right now. What did I do wrong during installation? What can I do now to get wireless connectivity working? (Say if I want to try another local hotspot?) What should I do when the next iteration of Fedora is released and it's time for me to upgrade? Any help would be appreciated. Temlakos