Building an Android teaching device.

[onefang]

I'd like to build an Android device I can use to teach senior citizens about Android, mostly how to use their phones.  I volunteer at a local senior citizens place, as their local computer expert.  I do one on one lessons or help with their computers and phones, and group classes.  They have a few ancient computers used for teaching, that all had various versions of Windows on them when I started working there.  One of them I installed Linux Mint on, to use that to teach them about Linux.  I have been experimenting with Android emulators for teaching a group class, but that's not working out so well.  The only computer they have that is powerful enough to run the emulator is chained to a desk in a room that is too small for groups, and the manager isn't sure where the key is.  Most of that stuff has been sitting there collecting dust for four to eight years.  I tried dragging my computer there, and plugging it into their projector, running Android Studio under Debian 9, with mixed results.  So now I'm investigating cheap options to run an actual Android device through their projector.  They don't have much money, but I'd just buy it myself and use it for other things, I don't have much money either.

I have an A20-OLinuXino-MICRO from long ago, but I had trouble getting Android to work on it.  The main problem is that I had bought the 10 inch LCD screen, but none of the existing images at the time worked on that size, and I couldn't get it to work over HDMI.  Linux worked fine on it though.  It didn't help that the only way to flash these things needs Windows software, I mostly run Linux at home.  That MICRO died though, there was a big storm, broken windows, things got soaked and pelted with hail stones.  That was too much screwing around, with no good result, something I don't want to do again.  So help me to put something together that will work for sure out of the box please.

So, I need Android (more or less stock version), WiFi with good range (the main hall is on the edge of reception for the buildings WiFi), HDMI output for their projector, and mouse / keyboard support, coz projectors are not touch screens.  Alternatively, the largest LCD screen that will work, so long as it can output to HDMI and LCD at the same time.  It would be useful if the Android version was the currently most popular amongst our seniors, but I've not surveyed them.  I think Lollipop is most popular world wide.

I'd love to get something a bit more beefy, like an A64-OLinuXino, but I don't see any Android SD card for sale for that.  Of the Android SD cards on sale for the A20s, only the MICRO mentions support for both HDMI and LCD, though a LIME or LIME2 would be more robust in their proper boxes.  At a guess the MOD-WIFI-R5370-ANT looks like it might have the best range of the A20 suitable WiFis, but it says it's unreliable for Android, MOD-WIFI-R5370 also says it's unreliable on Android, the MOD-WIFI-RTL8188 doesn't mention Android at all.  So I have no idea which particular combination of things will work for me out of the box.

Anybody got any clues for me?

[onefang]

At a guess the MOD-WIFI-R5370-ANT looks like it might have the best range of the A20 suitable WiFis, but it says it's unreliable for Android, MOD-WIFI-R5370 also says it's unreliable on Android, the MOD-WIFI-RTL8188 doesn't mention Android at all.  So I have no idea which particular combination of things will work for me out of the box.

Anybody got any clues for me?

After some research and testing, I have a clue for myself at least.  WiFis that are based on the Atheros AR9271 chipset seem to be one of the better ones supported under Linux, so I got a TP-LINK TL-WN722N (N-150) for one of my computers.  It has an external high gain aerial, so should work for the poor WiFi in the big hall.  It worked out of the box under Debian 9.  The web tells me that it's one of the better ones for Android support as well, since that uses the same driver as Linux.  That likely solves the WiFi issue for me, still got the others to sort out.

[onefang]

The solution I ended up with - install Android-x86 on one of their laptops.  Works fine with their projector, and both Linux and Android work fine with the built in WiFi.  Still no touch screen, though the computer that is chained to a desk has a touch screen, and Android-x86 worked on that computer to.  If we can find the key, that would be perfect.