Android physical keyboard still makes virtual keyboard show

Android physical keyboard still makes virtual keyboard show

I'm working on a project where I use an 'Android Mini PC' (chinese) and
connect it to the TV. The user uses their remote to navigate through the
environment.
The application is fullscreen, but whenever a dialog is launched, the
virtual keyboard pops up with the navigation bar, which needs to be hidden
at all times. (even though I'm testing with a physical keyboard) I didn't
have this problem with an older model of the Android Mini PC.
I can force the virtual keyboard off by disabling the service, but I just
need it to remain hidden when a physical keyboard is present, not the
entire time. (worked fine on the older model, which fried itself, thus I'm
using a new model)
The second problem is the navigation bar. Even though the service is
disabled, the navigation bar still shows up when the keyboard would be
launched. For the project I'm working on, it's crucial the navigation bar
stays of the screen. I fear the Mini PC thinks it's a tablet, which makes
it harder (if not impossible) to keep the navigation bar hidden at all
times.