In 2016, LEGO Education launched the WeDo 2.0 Core Set. Several months later, we published the original ultimate review, where we compared the two versions of this set. You can read the updated version below.

Today, after almost 5 years working with this set, we state with confidence that WeDo 2.0 is the best set for teaching kids robotics created by LEGO Education.

From the teacher's perspective, there's just no better educational tool. The set is child-friendly, well prepared for learning at school, and has an unbeatable price to possibilities ratio. On the dynamic market of educational tools for programming and robotics, where at least a dozen new interesting products are launched every year, WeDo 2.0 remains the unparallelled champion. And that's no exaggeration.

Even in RoboCamp team, this set has been one of our favorites for years. Design and development for WeDo 2.0, as well as teaching both children and adults using this set has been pure pleasure for the last couple of years. Thank you for this, LEGO Education!

In 2016, LEGO Education launched a new version of its WeDo™ robotics set. How different is LEGO® Education WeDo 2.0 (45300) from what we are used to with WeDo 1.0 (9580)? Which one is better for the classroom or for homeschooling? Is it time to upgrade?

Our team of dedicated educators, robot designers and curriculum developers has worked with the new sets for several weeks now, so we can discuss it all and help you make an informed decision. We have worked with the sets in classrooms, designed several new robot models, performed tests on the new electronic components and used the new software on different devices with different operating systems. By doing so, we have gathered plenty of information, so this article is quite extensive.

To help you navigate through it all we prepared a table of contents so you can jump to the section that interests you. We hope you will find this review helpful. Have a nice read.

What is LEGO WeDo?¶

LEGO Education WeDo is the result of the collaboration between Mitchel Resnick, head of the Lifelong Kindergarten group at MIT Media Lab, and Erik Hansen, head of the Electronics R&D department of The LEGO Group. Previously, their 20-year collaboration resulted in the highly successful LEGO Mindstorms robotics kit for children aged 11+.

The LEGO Education WeDo™ Robotics Construction Set, aimed at children aged 7-9, was launched in 2009 and introduced LEGO robotics to younger audience. The set combines the beloved LEGO bricks with one motor, two sensors, and a hub that connects the model to the computer. Simple drag-and-drop visual programming software is then used to bring the model to life. With this kid-friendly approach, the set makes learning fun, inspiring and engaging. Kids learn about complex topics in the fields of physics, engineering, and programming, as well as develop motor and cognitive skills through robot building, all as they have fun with LEGO bricks.

Its simplicity and versatility make WeDo a great set to use in the classroom for teaching robotics and programming and enhancing STEM lessons. Children work in pairs using one WeDo set and one computer or tablet, which improves their collaboration and communication skills.

RoboCamp educators have a long and successful history of teaching with WeDo and we are certain that there’s hardly a better tool for getting young children excited about technology and programming. Our own lesson plans for WeDo, CityCamp, StarCamp and SafariCamp prove that the possibilities are even greater – you can use WeDo to spark interest in physics, mechanics, astronomy and even biology!

Being very fond of the original set, we’ve been really excited about the new WeDo 2.0 set since the earliest rumors about it surfaced last year. Now, a few weeks after first getting our hands on the new sets, we can finally tell you what we think.

Storage box and Contents¶

Let’s start with the storage. The LEGO Education WeDo™ 2.0 Core set comes in a large, durable, plastic storage box, almost two times bigger than its predecessor’s. The box comes with a semitransparent plastic lid, and is equipped with a convenient sorting tray with 13 different-size compartments for storing small LEGO pieces.

Each compartment holds from 4 to 11 types of LEGO pieces, sorted according to size and use. Bigger elements are stored underneath the tray, in the bottom of the box. The element card is conveniently laid out to match the tray compartments. The set also contains a sticker sheet with 13 stickers that can be used to label the compartments, which is really practical and helps with keeping the bricks sorted. It is best to place the stickers on one side of each compartment of the sorting tray, to make them visible when we add the bricks.

The WeDo 2.0 set contains 280 LEGO pieces which is a huge change, since the previous version only included 150 elements. Therefore, we get almost twice as many bricks for a similar price. In case of WeDo 1.0 you could extend your building capabilities with the separately sold WeDo Resource set containing 325 more LEGO pieces.

The number of pieces in the new set, along with the size of the sorting tray, led to the great increase in the size of the storage box. This can be an obvious disadvantage in some classrooms, as the new sets require much bigger workplaces and more room for storage between classes. However, there is a silver lining to the storage space problem, since the new boxes can be stacked more easily than the WeDo 1.0 boxes.

The space problem is, however, negligible compared to the great improvements the new storage system brings to the building process. After using the sets for a while, we can firmly state that it is now much easier to find pieces, which shortens the building phase of a lesson and greatly reduces the dreadful noise of searching for a LEGO piece (a real blessing if you use the sets in class frequently).

Overall, there’s a significant improvement in comparison to the WeDo 1.0 container, with its impractical four-compartment tray that was usually thrown away, leaving us to store all the LEGO pieces loosely in the main storage box.

Parts: General information¶

Like in most LEGO sets, when you open the box for the first time, all LEGO pieces are pre-packaged in several plastic bags.

The contents of each bag, unfortunately, do not correspond to the way LEGO intended us to store the pieces in the sorting tray, therefore, if you buy several sets at once, prepare yourself for a bit of work to sort them all out. Although, since the sets will have to be sorted more or less every one to two weeks depending on the frequency of use, you may as well get used to it now. And if you think that it’s nothing new since you’re used to working with WeDo 1.0, think again, as this time you have almost twice as many pieces, and you need to put each one of them in the right compartment of the sorting tray.

But let’s focus on the LEGO pieces. The first thing that catches the eye when you open the box is the color palette of the LEGO pieces, significantly different in WeDo 2.0 compared to WeDo 1.0. It is dominated by greens, light blues and yellows, in bright and fresh hues, with a small share of other colors. There are also lots of transparent pieces.

Those bright colors sure correspond to the main theme of the curriculum that LEGO designed for this set, which is recycling and ecology. They also definitely appeal to most kids that age. However, we fear that such a limited color palette can inhibit creativity a bit, since it suggests some solutions over others. Adding a couple of red and dark blue pieces, would make the set much more valuable in this regard.

WeDo 2.0 set contains many more tiny pieces when compared to its predecessor, which is puzzling since the kit is designed for the same age group and labeled 7+. One can only assume that today’s 7-year-olds are much more capable of handling small objects than their peers in 2009, when LEGO WeDo 1.0 was launched. The truth is, however, quite different.

With a total of 280 LEGO pieces, and a significant share of really small ones, the age limit of the WeDo 2.0 kit is actually set properly. For WeDo 1.0 the age limit was a bit too high, since it worked very well for kids as young as 6 years old. Educators at RoboCamp used them with very good results for years. There are also some issues regarding the new software that contribute to the higher age limit, but we will discuss them in the Software section.

Parts: Detailed comparison¶

The differences between LEGO WeDo 1.0 and 2.0 sets are most apparent in the case of LEGO pieces. The electronic components, apart from the new hub as well as the new software, hasn’t actually changed much. Let’s then take a closer look at what’s inside the new set, and, equally important, what isn’t.

1. The upper left corner compartment is all about the plates. The Technic plates come in more colors and sizes than were available in the WeDo 1.0 set.

Apart from that, the first compartment also holds several other interesting pieces worth noticing. There’s the white bracket, ideal for joining pieces in perpendicular planes. A gray frame, aka 4×4 plate with open center, can be useful for reinforcing the structures. A turntable base along with an azure 4×4 round plate create a great and practical turntable for all those crane and carousel models. Thanks to its larger dimensions and a pin hole in the middle of both plate and base, the turntable can now be controlled by motor, and almost as useful as its Technic counterpart. Remember the 2×2 turntable in the WeDo 1.0 set? It’s a different world now!

2. Let’s move on to the lower left corner compartment for all its slope goodness. In total, there are more pieces in this category than in the WeDo 1.0 set.

However, there are fewer types of slopes and curved slopes to choose from. The set, most importantly, lacks sloped pieces with a width of two studs, which were abundant in the WeDo 1.0 version. Those were very useful for building stable sloped constructions and will be very much missed. There are a couple of types of LEGO pieces worth noting in this compartment. The azure 4×1 double curved slope is very rare and can be used to tame all those cables connecting electronic components to the hub. The 1×2 31° slope is also a new addition to the set, further expanding the possibilities of building sleek, more aerodynamic designs. Interestingly, it is the only sloped piece with a width of two studs, which to us seems a bit strange.

3. The next compartment contains classic bricks. There are more pieces in this category in the LEGO WeDo 2.0 set than its predecessor, but they are generally smaller. However, the lack of 2×6 bricks that we got used to with WeDo 1.0 is compensated for by more beams in the next compartment.

4. The number of Technic bricks in the new set is the same as in WeDo 1.0, but there are more lengths available. In addition, we get two beams and two bent beams, as well as two more tiles with perpendicular beam than before, so yay! It’s a shame,though, that all the pieces in this category are green. It would be great if we could have some color diversity here.

5. The next small compartment holds a whole new group of LEGO pieces, not available at all in the WeDo 1.0 set. Axle connectors and angle connectors are a great addition to the WeDo set, and open up many new building opportunities. With the previous version of the set, we built our own connectors using 2×2 Round Bricks. There’s no need for that now,and we can design even longer and more durable drive shafts than before. 6. The WeDo 2.0 set finally introduces half bushings. They are stored in the sixth compartment along with whole bushings, pins (two more than in the 1.0 version but still few) and pin-to-axle connectors.

7. There are many more axles in the new set, which, along with all those axle connectors, really expand the set’s possibilities. We also get some special axles, such as a 4-module axle with end stop, 2-module axle with grooves and a very interesting black 2-module axle with pin. It’s hard to compare it all to the total of six axles that were available in LEGO WeDo 1.0.

8. The eighth compartment is also on the small side, but its contents are very interesting. It holds all the decorative pieces,such as flowers and other plant parts, transparent 1×1 round bricks in three colors, a tiny lever, and two sizes of round tiles with eye decoration. Eyes are especially interesting since we not only get to choose the size of the eyes for a LEGO creature of our design, but can connect them to whatever LEGO piece we want, which creates nearly endless possibilities.

There are no LEGO minifigures in the WeDo 2.0 set. Some kids may miss it but it can also be a good thing. Minifigs did, after all, create a bit of a fuss in the classroom (two kids per set and only one minifig, guys!). They were also unnecessarily suggestive, since kids (as well as adult robot designers), tended to try to scale all their builds to the size of this little LEGO figure.

9. The next compartment holds four types of round LEGO plates and tiles. There are two classic 2×2 round plates and six round plates with rounded bottoms. But it’s the other two types that are really worth noting. Take a closer look at dark gray 2×2 round tile with hole in the center and white round plate with one knob. Those two pieces can be joined to create a neat little connector piece for connecting LEGO bricks in opposite planes. We can’t wait to use that trick in one of our designs.

10. Let’s move on to the next group. It holds several types of plates and tiles of a one-stud width. There are many pieces of this type in the set and that’s cool, but the color palette here is really poor. All the plates are white and most of the tiles are gray with just two tiny 1×2 tiles in azure.

11. The next compartment holds a lot of interesting LEGO pieces. The most valuable of them all are most definitely the 2×2 bricks with one or two ball joints, and bricks with ball socket. These parts are invaluable for creating joints that allow free movement in two planes at the same time, including rotation.

Apart from that, we get yellow Technic ball joints with an axle hole, which further expand the possibilities of creating various types of ball joints. In this compartment we will also find very practical pieces that we know from WeDo 1.0 – 1×2 bricks with pin and 1×2 bricks with axle hole. The number of pieces of both those types was reduced by two and now we get four of each. There are also two 1×1 white bricks with stud on one side, which can be used with tiles with eye decoration.

12. The twelfth compartment contains various types of LEGO pieces. There are six transparent wedge belt wheels, which is a lot; however, there are only two tires to go with them. We also get round 2×2 bricks, which we got used to in the previous version of the set.

A nice surprise is the introduction of the second type of rubber band – the well-known yellow 33 mm one is now joined by its smaller 25 mm red version, which, along with more belt wheels and small bushels, creates entirely new possibilities for designing gear belts.

Interestingly, despite the fact that the new set lacks any minifigures, it contains two minifigure snow-boards. We guess they could be used as skids but we wonder why they really made it into the set in the first place.

13. Now, for the final compartment. GEARS! Lots and lots of different types of gears. There are the classic spur gears with 24- and 8-teeth, and we get as many as four of the latter (which is great since those valuable little pieces seem to always be the first to get lost). In place of crown gears, LEGO WeDo 2.0 introduces 20-teeth bevel gears and double bevel gears in 12- and 20-teeth versions for operating on non-parallel axes.

The set also contains LEGO’s great transparent gearbox and a worm gear, as well as four (two more than in 1.0) gear racks for more powerful rack-and-pinion mechanisms. Overall the gear selection in WeDo 2.0 is much wider than its predecessor’s. It allows for building more diverse transmissions, but it comes with a cost. It is much harder to correctly mesh up bevel gears in a parallel transmission; therefore, it may be harder for small children to use.

14. Larger and uncategorized pieces are stored in the bottom of the box. In addition to the electronic components, the base contains two 16-stud-long plates, introduced in the 2.0 set in exchange for the 8×16 brick available in WeDo 1.0. There’s a 50 cm long string, without studs on ends, and two chains, with studs. String and chains can be used together with reels to design various pulley or hoist systems.

The bottom of the box also includes elements that were sorely lacking in the LEGO WeDo 1.0 set, as there are two types of tires (four offset and two balloon) with matching wheel rims there, which allows us to finally build vehicles.

And finally, the real star of the show – the brick and axle separator. The much-needed piece joins the LEGO WeDo set in its new 2.0 edition. Ironically, without the 8×16 bricks base, separating the blocks is now less of a problem than it was in WeDo 1.0. Still, its presence in the set is much appreciated.

Parts: Farewells¶

The new LEGO Education WeDo 2.0 set is much richer than its predecessor, at least in terms of LEGO parts. However, there are several particular pieces in WeDo 1.0 that will be very much missed. Let’s start with the most important one, the gray Technic cam. This particular, inconspicuous LEGO part was indispensable for all designs using crankshaft mechanisms. And while there are ways of creating crankshafts without this part, the mechanism will never be as simple and neat.

Other parts that were often used in WeDo 1.0 are 2×6 bricks, 8×16 base brick and 2×2 slope bricks, all mentioned in the previous paragraphs, and all useful for building durable LEGO structures.

Robot building possibilities¶

WeDo robot designers and constructors should be very pleased with the new set. The possibilities of the 2.0 set are significantly greater even with the same limited amount of electronic pieces. With 280 LEGO parts to choose from, we can build much stronger and bigger models – in WeDo 1.0 there always seemed to be one plate too few.

There are also several new possibilities brought by the introduction of new types of pieces to the set. New gears, ball joint connectors, axle connectors, more rubber bands, a new bigger turntable – all of this will make the designing process easier and simply more fun.

Our talented RoboCamp robot designers had plenty of fun creating robots with this set. RoboCamp offers you over 40 exciting robot designs, all ready to use by teachers (and students) as lesson plans with instructions guiding you through every step of robot building and programming. Below, you can watch a sample robotics lesson for LEGO WeDo 2.0.

The lesson is divided into parts: Consider, Create, Check and Code. It beging with an introduction to the lesson, during which the teacher discusses real helicopters and interesting facts surrounding them. Next, it's time to assemble the robot. Right after, we take a closer look at its construction to prepare for programming. The last part of the lesson is called Celebrate; it's time for students to play and experiment with their robot, which makes the new knowledge stick.

If you want to see how a robotics lesson with WeDo 2.0 looks like in practice, play the videos below.

For more lessons and information about LEGO WeDo 2.0 and other educational robots, go to RoboCamp YouTube channel.

Electronic elements¶

Electronic parts in the LEGO Education WeDo™ 2.0 Core set are generally very similar to what was available in WeDo 1.0. We get four electronic components – one medium motor, a tilt sensor, a motion sensor and a Smart Hub. The set introduces the new connection technology using plugs and ports to connect electronic elements with Smart Hub. The connection technology is, therefore, more similar to LEGO Mindstorms than to WeDo 1.0.

It’s hard to assess yet if this technology is better than the system used in the previous version of the set. What we do know already is that with WeDo 2.0 you can plug in only two electronic elements into the Smart Hub at a time. WeDo 1.0 allowed for connecting one sensor and multiple motors to one hub.The cables in 2.0 are wider, which may improve durability. However, it can also become a problem in some designs, as the cables are much stiffer and harder to twist, and can restrain the movement of some robot models.

Smart Hub¶

WeDo Smart Hub is a brand-new electronic LEGO element, designed specially for the WeDo 2.0 set. It plays the same role in the set as its predecessor, the WeDo USB hub, connecting sensors and motors with the computer and program that control them.

The Smart Hub is significantly bigger than the previous version. In fact, it is bigger in every direction! Whereas the previous USB hub was a brick with a 4×5 base and a height of two regular bricks, the new one measures 4×8 studs and has height of three bricks. It has 1×4 Technic bricks (with holes) sticking out in the middle of both sides, which makes the hub even wider. All of this makes the Smart Hub almost four times bigger than its previous version.

The main reason for the increased size of the new Smart Hub is that it has to hold two AA batteries (alkaline or rechargeable), which now power the wireless connection and all other electronic parts attached to the hub. In WeDo 1.0 there was no need for an additional power source as the models were powered via USB from a computer, which they were connected to all the time.

The introduction of the Smart Hub adds another task to classroom logistics as you have to keep the batteries charged. The battery case in Smart Hub can be replaced with a rechargeable Add-On Power Pack, but the purchase considerably adds to the cost of the equipment for the classroom, as one power pack costs about half the price of a whole LEGO WeDo 2.0 set. Even with a whole set of power packs, you still need to keep them charged. And you won’t have the option of swapping them when they run out during a lesson, unless you buy even more.

Considering all that, we suggest going with much cheaper, good quality rechargeable AA batteries and a good set of chargers. Buy 150% of the amount you need for one lesson – that way you will always have some charged batteries in reserve.

The biggest change, compared to the previous LEGO WeDo USB hub, is the use of wireless Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth 4.0) technology, instead of conventional USB solution with a cable. This brings brand-new possibilities and changes. Together with plenty of wheels provided in the new WeDo set, a wirelessly controlled, battery-powered WeDo model can now be truly mobile. This is a big step forward from the previous WeDo system.

However, the Bluetooth technology creates a challenge of connecting all the Smart Hubs to the right devices in the classroom. There’s a possibility of changing the name of each Smart Hub in the Connection Center of the WeDo software. We suggest assigning an individual name to each hub both in the software and physically, using stickers.

Update 2021: In more recent editions of the set, the producer even recommends this solution and adds special stickers to the set.

The back panel of the WeDo 2.0 Smart Hub contains two ports for the electronic parts supporting the new LEGO Power Functions plug. The top of the hub is covered with studs, has one centrally placed green button, and a light panel next to it. The light panel is used to indicate if the Smart Hub is connected to a computer or tablet. It is also a light source that can be programmed in WeDo software, with 10 colors to choose from.

The green button (which LEGO also refers to as a “blue light button”) is used to turn the Smart Hub on and off. Pressing the button on a hub will make it ready to connect to other devices. When the hub is connected to another device, the light lights up blue. To turn the hub off, press and hold the green button for a few seconds.

Sadly, the hub’s button isn’t utilized for anything more. The possibility of running the last program with the press of a button would be invaluable, making the WeDo set truly wireless. Currently, despite the Bluetooth technology, you still need to start the program using a tablet or computer. Adding this feature would bring WeDo closer to the more-grown-up Mindstorms EV3 set.

Motor¶

The new motor is very similar to the one in the 1.0 version of the WeDo set. The main difference is the introduction of four studs on the top, at the expense of one less pin hole on the front. This design allows for easier integration with other LEGO parts.

Several tests performed to compare 1.0 and 2.0 motors suggest that there are no major differences in operation. The new motor seems to operate slightly more stably and with a bit less power – the tested WeDo 1.0 motor worked faster despite the fact that it has been heavily used for a couple of years.

Motion Sensor¶

The WeDo 2.0 motion sensor attached to the Smart Hub can detect objects within a 15 cm range. Like in the previous set, the sensor can be used to measure distance to the object in front of it, or detect motion (which is in fact a change in distance). Its readings are then sent to the computer via Smart Hub and displayed on the computer screen.

Interestingly, in WeDo 2.0 those measurements are interpreted inversely than in the WeDo 1.0 set. With increasing distance, the number values displayed on the screen increase, which suggests that the readings are in fact distance measurements. In LEGO WeDo 1.0 the correlation was inverse – the greater distance, the smaller the number that appeared on the screen.

This is a good change since it is now much easier for kids to understand what the measurements mean. However, this change makes it much harder to use both 1.0 and 2.0 versions of the WeDo set in one classroom, which otherwise would be a nice solution for some schools. Working with data that in the two sets is collected differently can be very confusing and very demanding for the teacher to make the class work.

The WeDo 2.0 motion sensor has much better resolution than its predecessor. It can detect a change in distance as small as the size of two studs, which is around 1.5 cm, whereas for the previous version it could be as many as nine studs (over 7 cm). Moreover, with the WeDo 1.0 sensor, the resolution changes with distance, while the new sensor resolution is constant in the range of 25 studs. All of that makes the new 2.0 sensor more dependable and better overall than its predecessor.

Tilt Sensor¶

The new version of the WeDo tilt sensor brings minor changes with respect to its older version. Its response to the change of its position is slower, which means that the sensor must be tilted strongly to detect the change.

The the tilt sensor readings are, once again, interpreted differently by the software. In the WeDo 1.0 version, different measures of tilt were referred to using the numbers 0, 2, 8, 4 and 10 in the software. Now those same positions of the sensor are marked as 0, 3, 5, 7 and 9. It’s hard to say as to why LEGO made the change since there’s no obvious reason for it. Nonetheless, it’s another impediment for those teachers who hope to incorporate two types of sets in a classroom.

Programming LEGO WeDo 2.0¶

Updated January 2021

LEGO WeDo 2.0, unlike its predecessor, doesn’t require the user to buy the software separately. Much like with the recent LEGO Mindstorms EV3 set, the software dedicated for this set can be downloaded for free from the official LEGO website, which is great.

Sets can be programmed using a computer (PC or laptop), or a tablet with the right parameters. WeDo 2.0 Smarthub connects to the control device via Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth 4.0). Consequently, your device must have access to this technology, by means of a built-in or an external BLE module. This requirement is necessary, although not always sufficient to establish a stable connection. Hardware requirements and the specific conditions of various operating systems also play a role here.

Unfortunately, the launch of programming app in 2016 was ill-prepared. Producer took a long time solving crucial issues concerning compatibility with devices and software often used by public schools. Almost two years since the initial product launch, to be exact. Because of that, you can still find many online sources describing how difficult it is to launch WeDo 2.0 software. Fortunately, most of them are no longer valid.

Now, installing and running the app on the majority of popular devices (especially the new, high end ones) is completely trouble-free. You may come across some issues, if you're using older hardware, but most of them are easy to solve. Below, you can find information on how to install and run WeDo 2.0 app on various devices and operating systems. If you cannot find the answer to your question there, contact our team.

Programming WeDo 2.0 on PC¶

Hardware Requirements:

• 1.5GHz Intel® Core Duo Processor or faster
• 2GB/4GB RAM minimum for 32/64-bit PC
• Bluetooth 4.0 and up
• 2GB free disc space (minimum)

Windows 10¶

New devices, like PC or laptops with Windows 10 operating system (version 14393 or newer), usually have a Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy module built in by the manufacturer. This is why installing the WeDo 2.0 app on these devices is usually trouble-free.

If you are using Windows 10, but your device does not have this module, you can try an external Bluetooth module Bluegiga BLED112. Connecting it to a USB port of your computer should solve the problem. However, LEGO Education does not guarantee this configuration will work in every case, so you just have to try it out yourself.

Windows 7¶

Older computers usually rely on Windows 7 OS. With this operating system (version with installed Service Pack 1), you can also start working with WeDo 2.0 app, but you must purchase one additional item.

Bluetooth 4.0 technology is supported by different Windows operating systems in various ways, so LEGO decided that WeDo 2.0 will be compatible with Windows 7, provided you have one and only Bluetooth 4.0 adapter - Bluegiga BLED112. In other words, it doesn't matter if your computer already has Bluetooth Low Energy/Bluetooth 4.0, because even if it does, this technology will not be used by the app for Windows 7.

To connect the WeDo 2.0 software with the SmartHub, you always need to have Bluegiga BLED112 adapter plugged into the USB port of your computer.

Mac OS X¶

For Apple users, the WeDo 2.0 app is available for OSX 10.10 and up. You can install it from the same LEGO installation page.

Just like in the case of Windows 10, everything works perfectly, provided you have a built-in Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy module. If you don't have it, you can try out the external Bluetooth module Bluegiga BLED112; simply plug it into your USB port. However, LEGO Education does not guarantee this solution will work for everyone, which means you have to test it out yourself.

Programming WeDo 2.0 on Tablets¶

Possibility to use tablets in programming WeDo 2.0 set is important news from LEGO. The interface of the app seems to indicate that this coding software was designed for devices with touch screen. The blocks palette you can scroll left and right, or the new way to enter data (to complete numerous simple tasks, a lot of clicking and holding is involved) both suggest the new software's preference of tablets.

Nonetheless, not all tablets are compatible with LEGO WeDo 2.0. Market offers massive amounts and varieties of tablets, which can differ in almost every aspect: from the quality of components, screen size, to computing capabilities. Therefore, it's no surprise that LEGO Education slightly raised hardware requirements for tablets to maintain good user experience. If you are currently thinking about purchasing tablets for your robotics lab, plan it with caution and serious consideration.

Android¶

Hardware Requirements:

• 8 ‘’ screen size or bigger
• Bluetooth 4.0 and up
• 2GB free disc space (minimum)
• Photo camera

Nominally, the app should work on Android 4.4.2. KitKat OS and up. But since many different hardware producers use Android for various products, checking if WeDo 2.0 will work on your Android tablet is more complicated than you think. The key is to focus on hardware requirements.

Unfortunately, even complying with all the requirements above is does not guarantee compatiblity, because of a wide diversity of internal components used in Android tablets. If you want to buy Android tablets for school, or robotics lab with LEGO WeDo 2.0, contact us for suggestions of tried and tested devices, or reach out to LEGO support.

iOS¶

For Apple products, it's very simple. The software is available for products with iOS 8.1 and newer, from iPad 3 and iPad Mini. Head to the App Store, find LEGO Education WeDo 2.0 app and... that's it! You should have no problems with downloading, or installing the app on this device.

Chromebook¶

Hardware Requirements

• 4GB RAM
• Bluetooth 4.0 and up
• 2GB free disc space
• 1.40GHz Intel® Celeron® 2955U Dual-Core Processor or equivalent
• Internet connection

Popular in many countries, Chromebooks can also be used to code with WeDo 2.0 app, which can be downloaded from the LEGO Education website. Due to specific features of this device, the app does not store everything in computer memory, so accessing part of the content (e.g. lesson plans, material for teachers) requires access to the internet. The app is compatible with Chrome OS ver. 50 or newer. Producer recommends frequent updates.

Interface and usability¶

Once you have successfully installed the software on your device, we can move on to discussing its features. The new version of the software has its ups and downs and can surely rouse a debate.

Let’s start with the icon. Quite frankly, it's not exactly pretty and way less clear than the simple but great icon of WeDo 1.0, which was much easier to find on the desktop.

Starting up the new software takes significantly longer than before. It takes 12 seconds for the software to be ready to use, after which you still have to maneuver through the Science Lab Lobby to start a new project, or edit an existing one.

All these actions required to start programming can be confusing for the youngest children. In WeDo 1.0, you were good to go just two seconds after clicking the software’s icon.

Every project made with WeDo 2.0 software is available only through the Science Lab Lobby; you can’t save it, which can be a huge problem. To edit, delete or change name of an existing project you have to press and hold it for a few seconds – this action is used both on tablets and computers, which can be tricky for computer users (it definitely took us some time to figure it out!).

Inside the project, you will find an interface similar to what we know from the WeDo 1.0 version. The program scripts are created by dragging and dropping blocks from the block palette at the bottom of the screen onto the Programming Canvas, i.e. programming area. The block palette is presented as a horizontal list, which you scroll by dragging it left or right.

In the Toolbar at the top of the interface, you will find several important buttons. Home button can be used to get to the lobby. Project Library opens a panel with projects found in the LEGO WeDo 2.0 curriculum. Right next to it, in Design Library, you can find some inspiration for individual building and programming. In the Toolbar, you will also find Capture tool icon, allowing you to access the camera and the screen capture tool; in the Documentation, students can report their work.

Help section hides an extensive description of the inteface, hardware and programming blocks, as well as information on how to connect Smart Hub to the software.

Below the toolbar, on the right side of the programming area, you will find the Connection Window, where you can control the connection between the SmartHub and your device. To connect the SmartHub, activate it and select from the list of available devices (in some cases, you may need to pair the devices beforehand). To rename the device, click on its name on the list and hold for a couple of seconds. Finally, in the bottom right corner, there's the Stop button, which deactivates all scripts in the program.

Coding blocks of LEGO WeDo 2.0 Software¶

The drag-and-drop WeDo 2.0 software is much better suited to a touchscreen device than a personal computer. This means that PC users would need to get used to some changes, such as scrolling through the block palette or clicking and holding instead of right-clicking.

To enter numbers into the input fields, you have to click the number field and use the number pad that appears on the screen to enter numbers. Yes, even when using a PC, you cannot enter numbers using the keyboard – it’s quite ridiculous on its own. What’s more, however, is that when you want to enter letters into the text field, then you use keyboard. That’s just absurd.

Apart from those quirks, WeDo 2.0 software is really similar to 1.0. We still have the same categories of blocks and they are color-coded identically. We have yellow Flow blocks, which can start, suspend and repeat the script, as well as send messages to other scripts.

The only thing that has changed here is the operation of the Wait block – it has been calibrated and now the numbers in the numerical input field of the block reflect actual seconds. WeDo 1.0 used a time unit of 0.1 second. This change is understandable but unfortunate, since in order to do some programs, we will now have to explain fractions to 7-year-olds. At RoboCamp we prefer the previous time unit, which we refer to as “LEGOseconds” with our students to avoid confusion.

Green motor blocks are used to control the motor and, interestingly, the light on the Smart Hub. Red Display blocks are used to display numbers and pictures in the Display field and perform simple arithmetical operations on the numbers displayed in the field.

The new feature here is the introduction of three new blocks for controlling the Display field itself. We can now program when the field appears, when it closes and what size it should be.

There are also some changes in the input blocks. As for the Sensor Input blocks, we get three new blocks for controlling the distance sensor – we can now detect an increase, a decrease and any change of distance. We can also still get a numerical value of the distance, which is now interpreted inversely than in WeDo 1.0. There are also changes in the readouts displayed by the tilt sensor. The positions of the sensor are now marked as 0, 3, 5, 7 and 9.

Other input blocks, such as text and number input, random input or sound input block, haven’t changed compared to the previous version of the software.

Remember that LEGO WeDo 2.0 sets can also be programmed in the acclaimed and loved Scratch. We certainly recommend this solution for kids ages 8 and older.

Lesson plans for WeDo 2.0¶

With the purchase of a LEGO Education WeDo™ 2.0 Core set, you get access to lesson plans prepared by LEGO. They include 8 short introductory exercises, 12 lesson plans (8 on Science and 4 on Computational Thinking) with lesson objectives described in detail, building instructions and a ready-made program (no programming instructions included).

In addition, you get 12 "open lessons", which contain only a preview of the lesson topic and several inpirations for construction. When performing these tasks, the producer recommends to use information from the Design Library.

For a much greater repository of lesson plans, which include complete materials for teacher and student, as well as detailed programming instructions for WeDo 2.0 and Scratch, check out RoboCamp offer for teachers.

See how a sample robotics lesson with WeDo 2.0 can look like from our videos. You can find them earlier in this article.

Conclusions¶

Updated January 2021

In the initial version of this review, our feelings about LEGO Education WeDo 2.0 were mixed, mostly because of the early (although not short-lived) problems with the programming app. It was incompatible with many devices and operating systems, had plenty of bugs and suboptimal interface solutions. Leftover traces of these issues can still be found in many online reviews. Since then, however, the app has been improved, optimalized and upgraded with new content. What's more, most of the incompatible hardware is slowly but surely becoming obsolete, which solved yet another early problem.

This is why in 2021, after almost 5 years of working with this set, RoboCamp gives WeDo 2.0 a much more favorable rating. Even though the premiere of this set was probably premature, which early on generated a lot of unnecessary stress and frustration among users, right now, LEGO Education WeDo 2.0 is the best product for learning robotics in the 7-10 age group.

Above all, it's important to consider the learning potential you get for the price of this kit. Other educational tools at similar price point usually offer much less educational possibilities.

Let's biefly summarize pros and cons of WeDo 2.0. The selection and number of bricks included in the set is just perfect. Numerous enough to build countless interesting robots, but not too overwhelming, so you can swiftly find needed parts and limit the size of each project - which is absolutely necessary to complete a contruction within a reasonable time frame. Building possibilities of this set are huge. Even the building process is easier and more pleasant compared to the previous version, LEGO WeDo 1.0 kit. And although we still miss several bricks from WeDo 1.0 (like the gray Technic cam...), we rate the contents of WeDo 2.0 overwhelmingly positively.

Another notable advantage is less obvious, but quite important - the box. The wide, flat box with sorting tray significantly shortens building time, which is precious for every teacher (just like their hearing, saved thanks to the noise reduction).

Electronic elements were chosen aptly and wisely. One motor and two modest, but useful sensors suffice to build many interesting and interactive robots.

However, it needs to be said that changing the interpretation of sensor readings between WeDo 1.0 and WeDo 2.0 was unnecessary. This decision made it difficult to conduct lessons while simultaneously using both versions of the set, which was an important issue in the first years after the WeDo 2.0 launch. Obviously, as time passed, this problem diminished, because the older WeDo version disappeared from the market in 2017 and fewer schools still use it. Nonetheless, it left a bitter aftertaste. It clearly shows that although the official LEGO policy proclaims the importance of compatibility with older equipment and client support, in reality, none of these are as important as sales figures of new products.

Introduction of Bluetooth technology with the new Smarthub was a good idea, but not fully harnessed. There's no cable connecting the hub with the computer, or tablet, but the robot still is not fully autonomous. The Smarthub still does not have a processor capable of "storing" the program uploaded last. It would be great if kids could move the robot they programmed from their desks, just like with LEGO Mindstorms, and activate it wherever they want in the robotics lab. The green Smarhub button could be used to make it happen. Unfortunately, to get this functionality, we must wait for the prospective third version of this set. It's a real shame, especially since the lack of power cable forced users to constantly charge batteries for the robot. All the more reason to make better use of Bluetooth.

The programming app for WeDo 2.0 is user-friendly, as well as easy to install and use, especially for users with new computers and high-quality tablets. Educational materials received together with the set are also quite good, but if you plan on using them exclusively, you will never exploit the full potential of this set. The close cooperation between LEGO and Scratch creators was very valuable, and in case of WeDo 2.0, very successful. The option to code WeDo 2.0 in Scratch should certainly be used when working with kids ages 8 and older, for whom WeDo 2.0 programming app may just be too simple.

The set is well prepared for school education. WeDo 2.0 is unquestionably the most thought out product for learning at school currently available on the market, for which the producer deserves applause.

If you want to learn even more about the particularities of working with LEGO WeDo 2.0 in school, take a look at the trainings we offer. During trainings for teachers, we talk in detail about the duration of robotics lessons for kids, the group size, the equipment you need for robotics lab and the work flow throughout the lesson.