Q: I have just received  an Airport Extreme

I am going to assume that you want to keep the connections between router wireless ... correct? What is the exact model of your AirPort Express and Netgear routers?

Will you want to use the Express for iTunes streaming?

In your network the Netgear is a far superior wireless router than either the 1st generation 802.11n AirPort Extreme or the 802.11g AirPort Express.

I actually would recommend ditching both base stations. For iTunes streaming I would suggest that you consider getting the 2nd generation 802.11n AirPort Express. You can connect this to the Netgear either by wire or wireless. If connected by wire, you could actually use the Express to extend the Netgear's Wi-Fi network by configuring both routers for a roaming network. Note: This would only be advantageous if you both want to extend the Netgear's range to the 1st floor and you want to stream to that floor as well.

In setting up the roaming network, would it be better to have both the netgear router and 2nd Gen. Express in the same room connected wirelessly or by ether cable? Or on different floors connected wirelessly?

The idea behind a roaming network is to have the routers be in separate rooms or floors to extend the overall range of the wireless network. As such, having both routers in the same room would defeat the purpose of this type of network.

I was suggest that you place each router in separate locations. Of course this would only be viable to you if your goal is to both extend the network and for iTunes streaming at the location of the Express. If you plan on streaming to the Express in the same room, you can connect the Express to the Netgear with a wireless connection, and then, reconfigure the Express as a wireless client. In this mode, the Express will work for streaming but will not function as a network extender.

Are the older devices worthless or can they help strengthen/extend the wireless network?

Let's take a quick look at each. The Netgear is capable of operating simultaneously on both the 2.4 & 5 GHz radio bands and supports the 802.11a/b/g/n radio modes. The AirPort Extreme can operate on either band but not both simultaneously. It also supports the same radio modes. The AirPort Express can ONLY operate on the 2.4 GHz band. It ONLY supports the 802.11b/g radio modes.

Some things to keep in mind.

• Neither the Extreme or the Express can extend the wireless range of the Netgear using a wireless connection between them.
• Both the Extreme and the Express can extend the wireless range of the Netgear using a wired connection between each and the Netgear. This would be the roaming network configuration. In this type of network, each router would provide its own wireless network. However, each of these networks would use the same Network Name (aka SSID) and wireless security type so that to a roaming wireless client they will appear as one network. The issue will be that the same wireless client will potentially change radio modes when connecting to another router which could lead to bandwidth performance issues.

The following are my recommendations, depending on your goals:

• If you plan on having both routers in the same room, use the Netgear in conjuction with the current AirPort Express. Configure the Express to join the Netgear's Wi-Fi network as a wireless client for the purpose of iTunes streaming.
• If you plan on having routers in different rooms/floors, use the Netgear in conjuction with a new 2nd Gen 802.11n AirPort Express. Configure the Netgear and Express into a roaming network. This will allow for both network extending and iTunes streaming.