Recommended Tablet?

Discussion
#1

I’ve got an old 7" LG tablet mounted to the wall that I use as my main HomeHabit dashboard. I’m starting to investigate some options for a replacement and possibly a couple more around the house…

Does anyone have any recommendations or advice on a cheap(ish) and reliable tablet? I’m thinking at least 7inch or more…

My kids have some amazon tablets which are pretty cheap and seem to have been going solid for a few years now without much slow down at all…

@Igor is it worth recommending any specific tablets so you have a wider user base all using the same tablets or is that just a waste of time?

#2

i’m using an amazon fire 10 hd tablet and it works great

#3

I spend a lot of time to find the right tablet for a good dashboard and my choice was a Galaxy Tab S

Galaxy Tab S has a really good AMOLED Display with 2560x1600
You can get it with 8.4" and also as a 10.5"
8.4" has also 2560x1600 resolution

I use LineageOS because no Samsung bloatware and so i get a newer Android version

#4

I’ve just invested in a few Fire HD 8 tablets. This is mainly for 2 reasons:

  1. the easy of mounting with hidden cables. I have been unable to find any way to mount neatly (without soldering the connector from a wireless charger onto a standard usb cable) a standard Android tablet. Almost none seem to have hidden charging connectors, or docks that would wall mount nicely. The Fire HD 8 (and previous 10 but they are no longer sold) has a dock which only required drilling 2 holes, and the charging connection could be completely hidden. I then just ran a usb cable through the internal wall down to a nearby socket and I had a floating, cable free dashboard.
  2. the price - in the UK you have been able to pick up the HD 8 for £45 quid (admittedly the mounts were 40 each (ouch). Still way way cheaper than any other comparable option, and I think it looks great.

Downsides are:

  • the resolution - it is noticeably worse for my video feeds than my 1080p 10 inch tablet, but its good enough. The widgets, switches etc all look as good.
  • fire os is more locked down, when it comes to lock screen, etc.
#5

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Forgive the dashboard - it’s not my front page, but that’s got the kids cameras on amongst other things.

I’m happy with it and couldn’t find anything smarter. Also I actually like the size. It looks less like a tablet stuck to the wall lol.

1 Like
#6

look up makesbymike - he 3D prints tablet frames for wall mounting and also provides low profile usb chargers or other charging adapters. they are great

#7

Hey, thanks for the reply. Funnily enough I discovered him on this (or the ha) forum just after I bought the first fire hd and dock. I’m not a huge fan of most 3d printed stuff - the finish isn’t great, but I admit its by far the next best option I found. I did look at his connectors but seem to remember the max usb length was a metre which was touch and go for me. I probably would have ordered a connector and given it and velcro a go though.
Thanks again.

#8

I installed a recessed usb outlet behind the tablet so the cable length was perfect.

#9

I’m currently testing out the Lenovo Tab M10 HD with a plan to magnetically mount it to a wall with a wireless charger… Will post some updates once I’ve made progress… But the tablet works really well so far!

1 Like
#10

Ive had a Teclast P10 mounted to my wall since Nov 2017 see: https://goo.gl/photos/iR55kvE8pCf4reU56

Its attached with 3M wall strips and a 5v supply inside the wall.

this tablet was chosen as it could be powered with a 5v DC supply, so i could easily solder some thin wires to the motherboard. Its running an ancient version of Android and photo shows Imperihome ( sorry )…which is still used until i move over to HomeHabit.