Moving from PC module interactive screens to using the built-in apps

[Sonic007]

Good afternoon,

 

We currently have over 20 Prowise boards which are over 10 years old. It's a wonder they've kept going that long!

Back when they were purchased, the only option was to have a PC module in the back OPS slot.

These have been running Windows and joined to our domain, teachers logging in each morning.

At the moment the only thing Windows based that they use is Sims, but then this can be used via web browser and Next Gen, and we are looking to move to Arbor in the coming months.
The majority of staff will login to windows and then simply bring up Google Chrome and that is it.

We use GSuite in everything we do so they have lessons in Slides, Docs, etc.

 

I'm proposing we save ourselves a lot of money (£600-950 per PC module ) and get new 75" Interactive panels that have GSuite apps built in. (ELDA).

We stick a keyboard and mouse and off we go.

 

Can anyone see anything I've missed or problems arising?

Anyone done exactly this?

 

Many thanks for your help.

Edited February 11 by Sonic007

[bknaggs]

Have you had a demo until on site and let people try it?

 

We've got various interactive touch screens and it feels like everything is just easier to do from the computer attached to them rather than on the screen itself

[Sonic007]

We do have a demo unit coming. 

I would still have a keyboard and mouse attached to help users use the system.

[Rob_D]

I got the Promethian LX series demoed at BETT, which looked very much like the kind of thing you're after.

 

If the staff are accessing the MIS and using regular computer type functions, I'm assuming you have a second, desktop monitor plugged into the OPS unit (rather than having to bring the MIS up on the big screen where everyone can see it). So doble check whatever you go for has some kind of video out (it's not something I would expect as standard).

[dhicks]

2 hours ago, Sonic007 said:

I'm proposing we save ourselves a lot of money (£600-950 per PC module ) and get new 75" Interactive panels that have GSuite apps built in. (ELDA).

We stick a keyboard and mouse and off we go.

 

If the screens themselves are okay you could just replace the OPS slot PC. VeryPC do a good selection (or, at least, did a couple of years ago when we last looked).

 

For a wireless keyboard with a combined trackpad, we find the (£30-ish) Logitech K400 is pretty reliable.

[Sonic007]

17 hours ago, Rob_D said:

I got the Promethian LX series demoed at BETT, which looked very much like the kind of thing you're after.

 

If the staff are accessing the MIS and using regular computer type functions, I'm assuming you have a second, desktop monitor plugged into the OPS unit (rather than having to bring the MIS up on the big screen where everyone can see it). So doble check whatever you go for has some kind of video out (it's not something I would expect as standard).

 

Yeah the plan is to continue doing what we have at the moment which is a second monitor on the teachers desk.
All boards I have seen so far have a second output.

[Sonic007]

15 hours ago, dhicks said:

 

If the screens themselves are okay you could just replace the OPS slot PC. VeryPC do a good selection (or, at least, did a couple of years ago when we last looked).

 

For a wireless keyboard with a combined trackpad, we find the (£30-ish) Logitech K400 is pretty reliable.

 

I'll look into those Wireless keyboards.

Sadly the screens are failing and over 10 years old so we can't keep using them for much longer.

[Buzzer90]

Will staff be moving around or same teacher in same room everyday?

 

Just thinking about the inevitable occasions when staff would leave themselves logged in to their Google account if moving around.

[Sonic007]

Same teacher in each room every day.

[DavR]

If it's always same teacher, same room, it could work I guess. I know we've had teachers in the past use the native web browser to show stuff to the class, or the whiteboard apps for basic flipcharts, while they use the PC to get on with their admin etc.

 

My concern would be security. If they're logging into the Google apps on the device, does that then expose their email / confidential files to anyone else who may use the same screen?

[Sonic007]

All teachers have their own windows laptop if they needed any windows only features. 
At the moment they are logged in to their google accounts all day. 
Im sure there must be ways to lock the screen when they aren’t in use. When a teacher has finished they always logout. No one else could access. 

[DrBeaker]

On 11/02/2026 at 15:03, bknaggs said:

Have you had a demo until on site and let people try it?

 

We've got various interactive touch screens and it feels like everything is just easier to do from the computer attached to them rather than on the screen itself

 

We've found the 'promises' from the vendors of the built-in functionality of the TV's don't match up in the end.

e.g. outdated apps, slow sluggish OPC / slot computer units, outdated Android units you can't update past a really old version.

 

+1 for a PC/laptop connected to it. HARDLY ever had issues with a desktop attached to the TV as a big screen.

We can update the PC for approx £500, the TV's gonna be a heck of a lot more expensive to replace.

 

They can use whatever tools they deem fit then.

 

Go for a bigger screen if you can rather than fancy features.

 

e.g. if the display is touch they can use Microsoft Whiteboard app, not sure about Google's equivalent app

 

 

[dhicks]

On 11/02/2026 at 14:49, Sonic007 said:

I'm proposing we save ourselves a lot of money (£600-950 per PC module ) and get new 75" Interactive panels that have GSuite apps built in.

 

How are the GSuite apps "built in"? Is there an included OPS-slot module of some sort, possibly running Android? I think that's the configuration we've tended to see on newer SMARTBoards, with a non-removable OPS module as well as a second free OPS slot for our own module to go in if we wanted. As @DrBeaker points out above, those built-in modules can be difficult to manage / update. You could possibly provide your own OPS module per screen, configured however you like - if you wanted to keep the just-switch-on-and-use style of use, maybe a simple kiosk Linux setup that just loads up Chromium in incognito mode?

[Sonic007]

9 hours ago, DrBeaker said:

 

We've found the 'promises' from the vendors of the built-in functionality of the TV's don't match up in the end.

e.g. outdated apps, slow sluggish OPC / slot computer units, outdated Android units you can't update past a really old version.

 

 

What apps were you using? If we are using Google apps we could just download the updates from the play store.

[Sonic007]

5 minutes ago, dhicks said:

 

How are the GSuite apps "built in"? Is there an included OPS-slot module of some sort, possibly running Android? I think that's the configuration we've tended to see on newer SMARTBoards, with a non-removable OPS module as well as a second free OPS slot for our own module to go in if we wanted. As @DrBeaker points out above, those built-in modules can be difficult to manage / update. You could possibly provide your own OPS module per screen, configured however you like - if you wanted to keep the just-switch-on-and-use style of use, maybe a simple kiosk Linux setup that just loads up Chromium in incognito mode?

 

The screens have an android OS and you can download what you want from the play store or in some cases manage all the screens centrally and push out the apps, updates, etc.

[Rob_D]

A lot of the main players (Smart, Promethian, C Touch) have their own management tools for the boards that deal with updates, apps, etc. (At least that's what they kept saying at BETT).

[TechMonkey]

1 hour ago, dhicks said:

 

How are the GSuite apps "built in"? Is there an included OPS-slot module of some sort, possibly running Android? I think that's the configuration we've tended to see on newer SMARTBoards, with a non-removable OPS module as well as a second free OPS slot for our own module to go in if we wanted. As @DrBeaker points out above, those built-in modules can be difficult to manage / update. You could possibly provide your own OPS module per screen, configured however you like - if you wanted to keep the just-switch-on-and-use style of use, maybe a simple kiosk Linux setup that just loads up Chromium in incognito mode?

Newline boards, so most of the others that are rebadge, are just giant Android tablets. The Android-ness is an input, to use anything else, OPS or HDMI, you just change input, often from a shortcut on the Android homepage.  Works well.  We have had a teacher off long term but well enough to work and we have had Teams on the board working so no need for the teacher to lose their laptop just to show the teams view.

 

The only thing I worry about is staff logging in and the board remembering them and giving access to other members of staff or even pupils. NewLine handles this with some apps by wiping sessions when the board is restarted, but I don't know if this is universal across all apps and all boards.

[paulkerton]

I would go the exact opposite way. Get screens with no OS on them and put an OPS in them instead.

Android on these screens will never be supported for the length of time you'll be expected to keep them up and running and working. Schools are going to want 10 years out of those screens, and you're just not going to get that length of support.

[Andrew_Coates]

As someone that used to be a long time EduGeek member and now works for SMART, I hear all of your comments and a lot of the above were the first things I said to SMART as well.

 

I'll answer some of the questions without turning this into a sales pitch and just provide facts.

 

"Android on these screens will never be supported for the length of time you'll be expected to keep them up and running and working. Schools are going to want 10 years out of those screens, and you're just not going to get that length of support."

 

The future-proof technology choice for displays | SMART Technologies

 

"The only thing I worry about is staff logging in and the board remembering them and giving access to other members of staff or even pupils. NewLine handles this with some apps by wiping sessions when the board is restarted, but I don't know if this is universal across all apps and all boards."

 

You're right to be worried and it's one of the first things I make schools aware of.

 

When you are finished using the display, be sure to sign out to keep your account secure.

For extra security, IT administrators can enable the Automatic inactivity log out setting within Settings Then Security to make the display sign out of a user’s SMART Account automatically after a period of inactivity.

1. Tap the profile avatar located in the navigation bar.

2. Tap Sign out.

When you log back in, the settings and configurations you set up on your account are restored.

 

Hope that helps.

 

 

 

 

Edited February 16 by Andrew_Coates

[BenQ_Chris]

Hi @Sonic007 hopefully I can offer some advice that you may find useful. Firstly, not all EDLA are created equally, some boards will have EDLA but with no secure wrap round account management (essentially a vanilla store bough tablet), some have this, but is provided (via subscription) by a 3rd party supplier and some (like BenQ) have their own subscription free offering, that not only offering true SSO account management (AMS), but also device management (DMS) and messaging - supporting Martyn's Law (Broadcast).

We currently have 3 ranges, RE04A (value driven interactive display with Google EDLA), RE04 (essential range, higher spec CPU, storage) and RP04 (Pro range, industry leading CPU specifications, germ resistant glass, environmental sensors and NFC card sign in). There's a lot more to all 3 than I can fit in a single sentence. With the latest firmware all our boards have at least Android 14 and with BenQ's own DMS system you can control and manage Play Store access; even down to the specific application.

If this is of interest and you would like to know more or you just have some questions, please drop me a DM, happy to discuss further and if interested help arrange a demo for you.

Thanks, Chris

 

Senior Technical Services Manager UK and Ireland

BenQ UK & Ireland

 

AV News - AV Support Professional of the Year 2026

[Sonic007]

Thanks for everyones input on this. We decided to go with a PC module in the end so have the best of both worlds.