I've gotta say, I see your point about the hands-off appeal—especially for folks who just want stuff to work. But personally, I still lean toward SageGlass. Sure, zoning might sound gimmicky at first, but I've found it handy in real-world scenarios. Like when the sun hits my home office in the afternoon, I can tweak just that one zone without dimming the entire room. View's slick software is tempting, though... maybe I'm just too much of a control freak to let go completely, haha.
Totally get what you're saying about zoning. When we were deciding between View and SageGlass, I initially thought the zoning was just marketing fluff too. But then I remembered how my partner loves reading in the corner nook, and I prefer brighter spaces when cooking. Being able to adjust just one part of the window turned out to be surprisingly useful day-to-day. View's automation is appealing, but sometimes you just want things your own way, you know? Guess we're both control freaks, haha...
Yeah, zoning surprised me too. At first I thought it was just another gimmick, but after installing SageGlass, I realized how handy it is—especially when the afternoon sun hits my desk but my cat insists on sunbathing nearby... priorities, right? Automation's cool, but manual tweaks are underrated.
"Automation's cool, but manual tweaks are underrated."
Totally agree with this. Automation is great, but there's something satisfying about having control when you need it. Glad your cat approves too—pets always seem to have the final say on home upgrades, don't they?
"Automation's cool, but manual tweaks are underrated."
Yeah, I feel this. When we upgraded our blinds to smart ones, I thought I'd never touch them again, but turns out I still adjust them manually pretty often—especially when the weather changes unexpectedly. Makes me wonder if smart windows handle sudden shifts in sunlight or temperature smoothly, or if you still end up tweaking things yourself sometimes... Has anyone noticed how responsive View or SageGlass are to quick weather changes?
I've wondered about this too. Smart tech is great, but there's always those little moments when manual control just feels quicker or more intuitive. Curious if smart windows really nail that balance or if you'd still find yourself reaching for manual overrides sometimes...
I've had similar thoughts—smart windows are impressive in theory, but practically speaking, manual overrides tend to be indispensable. I installed SageGlass in my home office about two years ago. From a purely technical standpoint, the tinting and responsiveness are genuinely impressive. The sensors pick up sunlight changes quickly, and the transition between tints is smooth enough to feel natural rather than distracting.
However, there have definitely been times when automatic adjustments weren't quite what I wanted. For instance, during partly cloudy days, the glass occasionally overcompensates—darkening more than necessary when a cloud passes overhead or brightening abruptly when the sun reappears. It doesn't happen constantly, but enough that I've found myself reaching for manual control every now and then. Thankfully, SageGlass does offer manual overrides through an app interface, which are straightforward to use and responsive enough.
A friend of mine went with View glass for his living room renovation. According to him, View's predictive algorithm is a bit more refined—they claim it learns your preferences over time—but he still occasionally finds himself overriding it manually too. He mentioned that the setup was slightly more complicated initially compared to SageGlass, but once set up, it's been pretty reliable.
In general though, I'd say both brands have done a decent job balancing automation with user control. Just don't expect a completely hands-off experience. If you're someone who enjoys fine-tuning your environment (like me), you'll probably still appreciate having manual options at your fingertips now and then...
"However, there have definitely been times when automatic adjustments weren't quite what I wanted. For instance, during partly cloudy days, the glass occasionally overcompensates..."
That's a really good point about the partly cloudy days. I've seen this happen with several installations I've worked on—it's almost like the sensors get a bit confused by rapidly changing conditions. Smart windows are fantastic tech, but they're still evolving, and the occasional hiccup is pretty normal.
One thing I've noticed that helps is adjusting the sensitivity settings in the app if your system allows it. With SageGlass specifically, you can sometimes tweak how aggressively it responds to changes in sunlight. If you haven't already, you might want to experiment with lowering the sensitivity slightly. It won't completely eliminate manual overrides, but it could reduce how often you need them.
Your friend's experience with View glass is interesting too. I've heard similar feedback from clients—that View's predictive algorithms do seem to adapt a bit better over time, but the initial setup can be a bit more involved. It's a trade-off, I guess—more upfront effort for potentially smoother automation down the line.
In any case, your approach of keeping manual overrides handy is spot-on. No matter how advanced these systems get, personal preference and comfort are always going to vary from day to day. It's great that both SageGlass and View recognize this and provide straightforward manual controls.
By the way, have you noticed any seasonal differences in performance? I've had a few clients mention that during winter months, when sunlight angles are lower, the automatic tinting sometimes feels less intuitive. Curious if you've experienced anything similar...
I've definitely noticed the seasonal thing. Last winter, my SageGlass windows seemed a bit clueless when the sun stayed low—like they couldn't quite figure out if it was sunny or just bright haze. Tweaking the sensitivity helped a little, but honestly, some days I just ended up manually overriding it. Still beats regular blinds though, especially when I'm feeling lazy...which is pretty often, haha.
Interesting about the seasonal quirks—I wonder if that's a common thing with smart windows in general or just SageGlass specifically. I've been considering View myself, but haven't seen much feedback on how they handle low-angle winter sun. Did you notice if adjusting the sensitivity settings made any noticeable difference in glare control, or was it mostly just about brightness levels? Curious if View has a similar issue...