While your internet connection may not actually be congested, the
wireless access point you both connect to might be. If you look in the
web-based management page for the Belkin device, it should show you how
many MAC addresses are connected - if there's more than just your
computer(s) listed, then yes, someone is piggybacking.

You should definitly change the WEP key, and change the management
password to something other than the factory default.

Steve O wrote:
> The reason I ask is that my wireless system occasionally runs at a snail
> pace.
> This often happens at peak times, and sometimes not at all.
> I have checked my internet speeds when I have suspected that the neighbour
> is piggybacking and even though the broadband speed check shows full
> capacity, it is still running slow.
> Even my Google home page takes about a minute or so to load at these times.
> I'm running my home pc on a Belkin 54G wireless system.
> Data encryption is WEP and the password is still set at the default when I
> set it up with the manufacturer's helpline. (Do they always suggest
> 10,20,30,40,50?)
> So I was wondering if there was any way to detect piggybacking, preferably
> in the form of free software?