extender

I can't think of an advantage except perhaps it takes all the decision making process on which extender/mesh system to get out of the equation. 

I don't think the AirTies extender that they lease you are very good (and we're starting to see reliability problems) and before you get to the end of Year 1 you'll have paid what it costs for a good third party unit.

And no, before you ask, I don't have a recommended extender. 😁  Without actually seeing your home and where you need service it's really hard to tell what will work for you.  I stopped doing recommendations after some units I felt were terrific ended up not being so terrific in different client's homes/offices.  So now I just suggest that you look at some reviews from tech sites, find one that seems to fit your needs and budget and try it.  If it doesn't work out, return it and try a different one.

We're happy to help answer your questions about our Wi-Fi extenders, @Delgard.

Thank you @tonydi for the helpful information. 

Here is all you need to know about AT&T Wi-Fi extenders. This explains how extenders work and the Wi-Fi gateway and extender compatibility. The difference will be paying the full amount upfront or paying installmentally. 

If that does not answer your questions, let us know if you are referring to the advantage of the AT&T gateway vs a 3rd party gateway. 

Looking forward to your reply.

Elmi, AT&T Community Specialist. 

Can anyone tell me if it is $10/mo. regardless of the number of repeaters? That is what the support tech on the phone stated (up to 5 or 6), can anyone confirm? This is not for my residence, but for a retired person (whom I don't want to manage).

Take anything a phone "support" person tells you with a grain of salt.  It's $10/mo for "up to" three extenders.  Apparently it's at AT&T's discretion as to how many you need but I don't know how they decide that and if they really say, "no, we think your home only needs one or two".

https://www.att.com/support/article/u-verse-high-speed-internet/KM1454746

Tony, thank you for confirmation... that's kinda the reason I wanted confirmation. Not only is there a language barrier, which I can work through despite thick accents, but sometimes that on top of a dialog / context barrier which makes it significantly easier to misinterpret what the agents are saying. I must say though that I guarantee you that they speak English far better than I can speak their language!

I wouldn't spend that money.  Buy something namebrand with good rep.  Frankly almost anything you get will be better.