Question : How can I connect to my home computer (using my home computer's ISP's IP address) using remote desktop, a UNC convention, or a hostname) from a remote location?

How can I connect to my home computer (using my home computer's ISP's IP address) using remote desktop, a UNC convention, or a hostname) from a remote location?

I have an AT&T Cable modem that I use to connect to the internet.

What steps can I then take to secure my network (such as putting it behind a firewall) or protecting it with a username and password so that only I will be able to access my network  from remote locations (using the internet)?

What steps can I take to encrypt all traffic that I both send and receive while I am  
connected to my home network?

Answer : How can I connect to my home computer (using my home computer's ISP's IP address) using remote desktop, a UNC convention, or a hostname) from a remote location?

Teamviewer is a software (free for personal use) that you can use for this purpose.

I've used it myself and found it to be extremely useful.

It works behind firewalls, uses AES encryption and many other features. You can find the information here:
http://www.teamviewer.com/products/benefits.aspx

Download is available here: http://download.cnet.com/TeamViewer/3000-7240_4-10398150.html?tag=mncol

Hope this helps.

Warm regards,
Sarang