Tablet or PC?

Apart from the Lego kit, you need a device to program the models you build. It can be PC or Mac, or Android or iOS tablets with a 10" screen, but old versions of these operative systems will not work. The system requirements provided by Lego give some choices, having all of them one thing in common: they must use Bluetooth Low Energy technology, also called BLE.

That means you cannot dust off an old iPad or rescue that PC running Windows XP or Linux and save some money.

At this point, my first decision was about PC or Android tablets, since Mac was off the table, they are too expensive for me. When I tested the kit for the first time, it appeared clear to me that tablets would work better in my classroom, since my youngest students would be 7 and some of them might find difficult to handle a keyboard and a mouse. Touchscreens are simple, and learning how to use a computer is not the goal of my workshop.

That led me to another question, which tablet should I choose? My budget is limited so I cannot afford to buy four Apple iPads or expensive Samsung devices, which were the only ones that Lego had tested when WeDo 2.0 was launched. I bought one 10" cheap tablet with BLE and Android KitKat and kept my fingers crossed while I tested it. And it worked!


Fortunately for you, nowadays the Lego community has tested a wide range of different tablets and there is a list of devices that work. One of these lists can be found here. Or you can buy the same model I have, just click on the picture to see it on amazon store.

The last step was ordering three more tablets, and protecting them from scratches with screen protectors and covers, having each one of them a different colour. For educative and fun purposes, our tablets and Lego hubs are named after the colour of their covers.

Once you have the tablets you can install the Lego app on them. You are set and ready to start!

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