I feel your pain on the wiring—when we renovated our place, I thought smart tech would be plug-and-play, but ended up knee-deep in troubleshooting manuals and YouTube tutorials. Haven't tried View, but we installed SageGlass about a year ago. Pretty solid overall, though setup took longer than expected (mostly due to my outdated router). Once dialed in, it's been smooth sailing. Only gripe is the tint transitions can lag slightly behind weather changes...but that's me nitpicking. Definitely beats manual blinds any day.
Interesting to hear your experience with SageGlass—I've installed both View and SageGlass for clients, and honestly, they're pretty comparable. Did you find the lag in tint transitions noticeable enough to be distracting, or is it more of a minor annoyance? With View, I've noticed the app interface can be a bit clunky at times...but once it's set up, most homeowners seem happy. Curious if anyone else has had similar app frustrations or if that's just my luck with tech lately...
I've been considering View windows myself, but your comment about the app interface being clunky gives me pause. Honestly, my experience with smart home apps in general has been pretty mixed—some are intuitive, others feel like they're stuck in beta forever. Regarding the tint transition lag you mentioned with SageGlass, I wonder if that's something firmware updates could eventually smooth out, or if it's more of a hardware limitation. I've seen similar issues with smart blinds, where updates improved responsiveness significantly over time.
On a related note, how reliable have you found the sensors that trigger automatic tinting? I'm skeptical about their accuracy under varying weather conditions or indirect sunlight scenarios. It'd be frustrating to invest in smart windows only to find myself constantly overriding the automation manually...
I've been wondering about the sensor accuracy too. I don't have View or SageGlass specifically, but I recently installed some smart blinds that use similar sensors to adjust automatically based on sunlight intensity. Honestly, it's been a bit hit-or-miss. On sunny days with direct light, they're pretty spot-on, adjusting smoothly and accurately. But cloudy or partly cloudy days are trickier—sometimes the blinds seem confused and end up adjusting way too frequently, which gets annoying fast.
From what I've read, the sensors in smart windows might be slightly different from blinds, but the underlying tech seems similar enough to expect comparable performance. Firmware updates have definitely improved my blinds' responsiveness over time, so there's hope there at least. But if you're sensitive about frequent adjustments or laggy transitions (like you mentioned with SageGlass), I'd suggest trying to see them in action first-hand if possible—maybe a showroom demo or something?
Also, regarding app interfaces... yeah, you're right to be cautious. Smart home apps can really make or break your experience. I've had a couple of devices where the hardware itself was fantastic but ended up being frustrating because the app was just clunky or buggy. Sometimes third-party integrations (like using HomeKit or Google Home) can smooth things out a bit, but that's not always an option depending on the device.
One workaround I've found helpful is setting up routines or automations through a central hub rather than relying solely on the individual app's automation features. If View or SageGlass allow integration with something like SmartThings or Home Assistant, that might give you more control and reliability overall—even if their native apps aren't perfect.
Just my two cents based on experiences with similar tech... hope this helps!
Yeah, I agree with most of what you've said here, especially about the sensors getting confused on cloudy days. I've got some automated roller shades installed, and cloudy days are definitely their kryptonite. One minute they're halfway down, next minute they're fully up again—drives me nuts sometimes. Firmware updates did help a bit, but still not perfect.
As for the app side of things, you're spot-on about third-party integrations. I've found using Home Assistant to set up custom rules really helps smooth things out. For example, instead of relying purely on sunlight sensors, I combined it with weather forecasts and time-of-day conditions. Basically, I set it up so that if it's cloudy and late afternoon, the blinds just stay partially closed instead of constantly adjusting every time a cloud passes by.
I'm guessing you could probably do something similar with smart windows like View or SageGlass—assuming they integrate well with external hubs. Might take some tweaking, but could be worth it to avoid constant adjustments or laggy responses from their native apps...
"Basically, I set it up so that if it's cloudy and late afternoon, the blinds just stay partially closed instead of constantly adjusting every time a cloud passes by."
That's a pretty clever workaround. I'm curious if smart windows like View or SageGlass would respond quickly enough to make constant adjustments even noticeable...or would they just subtly shift tint levels without driving us crazy?
That's actually a pretty smart setup you've got going there—avoiding the constant back-and-forth would definitely save your sanity. I've installed smart windows for a couple of clients, and while they're impressive tech-wise, they aren't always as subtle as you'd think. Sometimes you'll notice the tint shifting, especially if you're sensitive to changes in lighting. But it's usually gentle enough that after a while, most people barely register it...kinda like how you stop hearing the fridge humming after a while.
I actually tried SageGlass in our home office last year. Cool tech, but I totally get what you're saying about noticing the tint shift. At first, it kinda bugged me...I'd be working on something, and suddenly realize the room lighting had changed slightly. After a couple weeks though, it just faded into the background—like you mentioned with the fridge hum. Honestly, now I barely notice it unless someone points it out. Never used View personally, but I'd imagine it's pretty similar. For me, the convenience of not messing with blinds all day was worth the initial weirdness.
Had View installed in our sunroom a couple yrs back—pretty similar experience. Tint shifts were subtle enough that we stopped noticing after a while. Honestly, either one's probably fine if you're just sick of blinds...
We considered both brands last summer, but ended up going with SageGlass for our kitchen and dining area. Honestly, the View windows looked pretty slick too, but we leaned towards Sage because the rep mentioned their controls were a bit more customizable—like you could fine-tune tint levels manually from your phone or set specific schedules. I'm kinda picky about lighting, so that sold me.
Installation was straightforward enough, although wiring everything up took longer than expected (isn't that always the case?). Once they were in, though, it was pretty impressive. The tint changes smoothly and quietly—you barely notice it unless you're actively watching it happen. And I agree with what someone else said earlier: after a few weeks, you just kinda forget they're even adjusting anymore.
My only gripe is that occasionally the sensors seem overly sensitive to passing clouds—sometimes they'll shift tint unnecessarily, which can be distracting if you're working from home like me. But overall it's way better than blinds or shades cluttering up the space.
One thing I've been curious about though: has anyone noticed if these smart windows actually help much with energy bills? We haven't had ours long enough to really compare year-over-year yet, but I'm hoping they'll make a noticeable difference in heating/cooling costs eventually...