Airport Express, from Apple - Cont.

The device offers some other neat features - such as a USB port that allows you to plug in a printer, so your printer effectively becoming a wireless remote printer and the ability to extend the range of an existing WiFi network (WDS).

Setup is straightforward enough, using the AirPort Express Assistant software and a separate AirPort Admin Utility program allows the configuration of advanced settings such as access control, firewall and VPN settings. The whole package seems robust and well thought through.

Back to its use with iTunes, in our test setup we used a PC, iTunes 7 and two Airport express - one connected using Ethernet, the other using our existing 802.11g WiFi network (running from a pretty standard US Robotics router).

Just for added fun we connected the wireless Airport Express using a digital Toshlink cable and the Ethernet connected Airport Express with a standard analogue connector. Oh yeah, the PC also had its own speakers attached - so three sets of speakers!

Selecting between speakers was very simple - there is a control at the bottom of the iTunes application and apart from taking a second or two to connect to the wireless Airport Express easy-peasy to control.

The truly amazing thing to report was the ability of iTunes to synchronize the output between all 3 sets of speakers - remember one set connected directly to the PC, another over Ethernet via an Airport Express and the last using WiFi to a second airport express.

The synchronization seemed so effective that you quickly stop thinking about the three separate speakers - in fact in our office we soon started arguing about which set of speakers was giving the most balanced base output... Fantastic!

Streaming music from your PC to another room does mean you require a way of remotely controlling iTunes...

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