I use WinVNC --free- to connect remotely to my computer. I use the encryption plugin which helps with security. Its not perfect but it works pretty well. Trouble is, you need to know your WAN IP address or purchase a domain name and install dynamic DNS so that when your IP changes it gets matched to the domain name. (You also need to forward the VNC port if you have a router).
This very simple bat file sends me my WAN IP every 4 hours. Download 2 free programs, curl and blat, put'em in a folder and ensure they are in the system path. (Last time I checked, neither program has a formal install). Then automate this simple 2 line bat file through the windows scheduler:
curl copies a url with your IP into a file and blat emails the file to you. If you don't like putting your SMTP password in a file, blat will let you put it in the registry.