What is safest remote connection from home to a small business?

A VPN is the best idea here though how you go about setting things up is a different story.

Col

Check out this link (copy and paste) http://www.hilgraeve.com/hyperterminal/

For the PC, use the free application UltraVNC, and for the IOS device use a product like Mocha VNC or Remoter ($10)

On the firewall, open a non-standard port, define a NAT rule to get to the PC and set a strong password for the VNC app.

While VNC by default does not use encryption, as long as you use something other than port 5900 and an easily guessed password, that is reasonably secure. Do not run VNC at the standard port or you will get constant hacking attempts for that device.

While a VPN would, in fact, be more secure, you would either need to:

a) invest in a different router/firewall, such as a Cisco, SonicWall, Barracuda, or similar device AND you will need to either find a suitable VPN client or make 100% sure it works with IOS and the Safari web browser or built-in VPN utility on the device.

For example, Cisco makes some very nice ASA 5000 series security appliances that are firewalls and VPN devices, and then you would use the Cisco AnyConnect VPN client for iPad (or possibly the built-in VPN utility on the IOS device)

OR
Deploy (on a separate PC) an software-based VPN such as the one built into MS SBS 2003 or an open source solution like Adito OpenVPN. OpenVPN uses the web-browser on the client side, but have not tested it on an IOS device.

They have a free app for the iPad\iPhone

For an easy and secure VPN use Logmein Hamachi.

https://secure.logmein.com/products/hamachi/

If you decide to connect a laptop or some other mobile device you have the benefit of having an always on mobile VPN solution . Also, it is very easy to setup and manage when compared to your standard VPN setups.

Working in healthcare we use Logmein as it is secure and accredited for use.
Well worth a look.

We have migrated away from VPN as that requires too much management for several remote users that change locations frequently and has been compromised, to a product called "TeamViewer". We use TeamViewer to manage our fifteen remote location computers and it works seamlessly. TeamViewer uses RSA and AES (256 bit) encryption as well as session passwords and Verasign code signing. Easy to use. Another great aspect is that you can use TeamViewer as a BST monitor for system status as the nodes that are set up on your list for automatic remote control show up on a menu that displays if the machine is online or off at any moment. Great program, free version works as well as full version which is abit spendy, but for remote access for end users to see their workstation as if they were sitting in front of it and for IT to be able to remote in, watch, or control remote PC it is simply the best option out there right now.

TeamViewer, Logmein, Gotomeeting and Join.me are all easy and provide security. They all also go through a third party. If you do not want to share your email address, client's email address or other data with an advertiser, use your own software as robo_dev suggested. TightVNC, RealVNC and UltaVNC all provide instructions and multiple clients. They can also work with a browser and without a client. TeamViewer, Logmein, and Join.me all have TightVNC in their core.

You can use remote management to set it up without any third party tools, but make sure you back up the router settings first!

http://www.belkin.com/support/article/?lid=en&pid=F5D8230-4&aid=2439&scid=0

Do you know the model of the Belkin router? Does it support a VPN?
Change the wireless settings for the Wireless, use something harder to crack like WPA2 - not WEP.
If you are going to use a "browser based solution" do NOT use Firefox (here comes the hate) unless you are using something other than WEP encryption. There are god reasons for this. You may or may not research them for yourself.
XP has a native capacity to establish a tunnel using PPTP or IPSEC, your choice.
Armed with this information you should be able to set things up fine.

Alternatives, again depending on your Belkin include: Tomato or DDWRT

Depending on what you have on the business end, try an Untangle Server (gateway) which has OpenVPN as a component. I have been using it (OpenVPN) between home and office for two years. The price is reasonable (FREE or nominal fee for upgrades to other components of the server). For remote administration look at RADMIN.

My suggestion would be to invest in router/firewall that will allow you secure access to network, and then you can use VNC, teamview, remotedesktop ...

One of cheep and good solution would be i.e. ZyXEL SSL 10 - SSL VPN with username and password, and after that you are SSL VPN-ed to your office LAN, without installation of specific utilities.

OpenVPN installed on PC that would be router/firewall for your office is also good solution, but then you need openvpn client on remote PC.