It maybe just on the boundary of the network range.....
If you have a wifi router at home or at work, suggestion would be to place your laptop right next to it and then see if it connects....
The question you've asked is dependent on a lot of unknowns..... that's why the answer is in the form of a question itself.... try it out and then follow up here.... and we'll try and help you out.
By you saying it's in range, we cannot picture how far the router/ap is.... that's why we can't tell you what sort of signal strength you should expect....