Hi @nevj
The issue with that is a) I don’t have one already; would have to purchase, and b) another Android device I would need to be able to remote into and update, add apps for her, fix issues, etc.
She has been using her tiny android phone to do text messages with a stylus I gave her and takes forever. She rarely checks email as it is not on her phone and that is one thing you cannot do remotely. Anything sensitive, like using her password manager (Bitwarden) or trying to login to an app for the first time, the remote app shows a black screen for privacy. So I have to get that done while I am there this month as it must be done in person.
She stays on the couch watching her TV most of the day and uses her walker to get around the house when she has to go to the kitchen or bedroom. She sleeps on the couch during the day (naps often) and only goes to her bedroom for a few hours at night. So I figured the best option is to connect the pc to the TV: it is 55" so no issues with vision, it is a backup plan for when she cannot get into her apps to watch her shows (she can use the browser to do the same thing) and since space around the tv is limited, I could not just move the office desktop that I setup last year to that area.
I intend to leave the desktop in the office (and can now upgrade both LM & Kubuntu while there) and use that to keep handling all of her bill payments, bank accts, etc. so I would not be interrupting her usage of the one connected to the TV. But obviously I still have to remote into it for updates, etc. So I have that setup with both Anydesk and NoMachine (since Manjaro would not use Anydesk). I decided on one rolling release and one long term.
I have grown weary of trying to get the dern Fire TV to consistently work for her as she does not understand the whole Android “Apps” thing. Suddenly an app she pays for will require a fresh “login” and she is lost as she cannot possibly login with 14-16 character passwords and no way to type on a keyboard, only that dern onscreen keyboard which is not laid out like a QWERTY so it takes her forever and she cannot seem to “show” password as she types, so she makes mistakes and is not logged in after all the effort. (I connected a bluetooth keyboard to it last year, but for some reason, Fire TV does not allow it for logging into apps; OSK has to be used)
Have seen many conversations on the web about why Amazon does not allow RDP to their TVs and Firesticks, just for this reason. It used to allow Anydesk and is still installable, but no longer allows access to the tv from outside the same network. So I cannot just get on there and “do it” for her. I am left with using the security camera I had installed to “view” the TV screen and guide her.
The mini pc is small & will mount “VESA” to the back of her tv and I will only have to show her how to switch between inputs: tv or pc. Hopefully she can do that. Once I have her phone fixed while there, I am installing a Launcher with child-proof capability: she constantly touches things without knowing and moves them off the screen, combines them with others, and then cannot find the icons for them. I remotely control her phone, but it is difficult to move items back weekly as her home screen gets messed up. Dragging from desktop to desktop is not easily done via remote control on Android.
I will get it resolved at the end of the month during my visit. If this fails, I may have no choice but to go to a large tablet, but just not sure about Android–would prefer something I can put Linux on so I can control it from here.
Thanks,
Sheila