Belkin Routers :: N300 - Cannot Connect Usb Adapter To Wireless Router

my netgear wireless router cannot see my n300 usb adapter. it shows as working in my device manager, but the netgear router says wireless not connected. when installing the adapter it said that windows has an icon to the left of the taskbar that i can click on and ask to join a network, which it didnt. it just showed network and an option to open network and sharing center, which i did. there were no wireless networks that showed available for me to log into with the adapter