I want to secure my netgear network (2 laptops), somehow it got set up as an open network?

most small routers use a class C network, and often use the IP address 192.168.1.1 as the IP address of the router on its network. If U hook up a computer to the router (wired, not wireless-ly) and use your browser to go to http://192.168.1.1/, U can manage the router. U will need the password and possibly a username to get in, however, and if U don't have that, there is usually some kind of reset procedure to set it back to a factory-default value. The username and password will depend on the manufacturer, so U should get a copy of the manual. U can probably get a copy at the netgear site (http://www.netgear.com/); press the "Support" button near the top of the page, then enter the model number of your router.

a few final words of warning are also in order. Set your router so that it *CANNOT* be managed from a wireless connection; this may be less convenient, but it also means that anyone who is not U will have to be in your house to change anything. Set your wireless so that only the MAC numbers of the computers U own can access it. Set the SSID (network name) to *not* be broadcast; U will know the name of your network and can specify it to your wireless connections, but your neighbors and passers-by will not and will not be able to connect. The manual for your router will tell U how to do all this.

Thanks for your response.
Doris