Hi, i have heard that wireless security is in the form of WEP and that it is not very secure. should i be worried about this? i am a home user and will be getting the belkin wireless router and built in modem. should i be concerned as i dont want my files to be looked at by intruders.

You should not be worried. You should do what MOST users don't do, or don't know how to do, which is configure the built in firewall, and then SWITCH IT ON!!!! :-) Read an article, saying what you said, most users don't have any security at all. Simple way abotu it is, run the firewall on your WIFI and also run a software firewall on your machine. It's what I'd do.

I think most wireless systems are capable of using encryption. Check the documentation carefully.

WEP is just one way of securing wireless. Yes it is not the best, but better than none at all. Use 128 bit WEP, change your SSID from the manufacturer default to something else. Set up all the computer that will be using the wireless. After all are functional with the wireless, DISABLE the SSID. Once that is done, no one can drive by and see your wireless network using a stumbler. Also, dont keep anything to personal on your computer. As a home user, what could you really have other than personal data like SS#, CC#,and back account #. Dont keep this kind of stuff on your computer.

In addition to the above recommedations, you should also remember to change the default password for your router and change it once in a while. You might laugh, but you'd be amazed at how often you can find a network that has all defaults loaded. Also, you might want to use WPA over WEP and configure your router to only allow access to your specific wireless MAC addresses.