Ethernet Switches

Yes… the gateway you will receive has (4) Ethernet ports. You may run line to one or more switches to add ports.

The fiber line is not ethernet and will come into your house and be connected to the ATT gateway (which is a combined modem and router). Then you can connect your  switch to the gateway ethernet output just like any other router

If you do not know the difference between an unmanaged and a managed switch, then you should probably go with an unmanaged switch, which will be cheaper.

An unmanaged switch doesn't have any configuration options or monitors, so they are cheaper.  They come all set up out of the box, and all the ports are equal, etc.

A managed switch has additional features that allow you to configure ports, the connections between them, monitor traffic flowing through the ports, etc.  For that you pay more money.  I use managed switches primarily to setup VLANs.

You can do pretty well with a fairly cheap one.  D-Link and TPLink I think both have one that retails at $20 or lower.  Netgear has one not much above that price.  The Netgear GS105 or GS108 is what AT&T used to install if they needed additional ports for U-verse boxes.

Thank you!

…Just thought of one more question, which is about the Ethernet switch itself. I’ve noticed some are labeled “Managed” and some are “Unmanaged.” Does this matter, and are there certain brands that offer better quality than others? Thanks. 
jeff

Thanks for that. Well my situation is pretty basic. I just wanna run a couple extra lines to other rooms in my house. Do the unmanaged types vary much in quality do you know? Like maybe better circuitry or ports.  Or, are they all pretty much the same? Thanks. 

Thank you all for all the guidance. Much appreciated!