We looked into SageGlass last year when renovating our sunroom, and yeah, the wiring thing was a bit of a curveball. Our electrician took one look at our ancient fuse box and just laughed (never a good sign...). Ended up needing a new panel and some extra low-voltage runs—definitely bumped up the budget. But honestly, it's been worth it so far. Can't speak to View personally, but I'd say whichever you choose, brace yourself for some electrical surprises if your home's wiring is vintage like ours.
We ran into a similar snag when we upgraded our kitchen lighting last summer. Thought it'd be a quick swap to LEDs, but nope... our electrician found knob-and-tube wiring hidden behind the drywall—talk about vintage! Ended up rewiring half the house and replacing the panel too, so I feel your pain on those unexpected electrical surprises.
Glad to hear it's been worth it though; SageGlass does look pretty slick. Haven't personally tried View either, but my cousin installed it in his office downtown and swears by it. He mentioned something about needing extra wiring runs too, so seems like that's just par for the course with smart glass tech.
Anyway, props for sticking through the curveballs. Those upgrades always seem daunting mid-project, but once you're sipping coffee in your perfectly lit sunroom, it all fades away... mostly.
"Ended up rewiring half the house and replacing the panel too, so I feel your pain on those unexpected electrical surprises."
Ha, sounds painfully familiar. Smart glass definitely isn't a plug-and-play upgrade either—I've installed both SageGlass and View for clients, and each had its quirks. SageGlass tends to be a bit more straightforward wiring-wise, but View's app interface is slicker IMO. Either way, once you're past the initial headache (and sticker shock), the comfort payoff is huge. Just brace yourself for some "vintage" surprises behind those walls...
"Just brace yourself for some "vintage" surprises behind those walls..."
Haha, vintage surprises is putting it mildly. When I redid my kitchen wiring, I found a bundle of wires twisted together with duct tape—no joke. Smart glass sounds tempting, but is the View app stable enough long-term? Slick interfaces are great until the app randomly crashes or stops updating. Curious if anyone's had issues with software reliability down the line...
I've heard mixed things about the View app stability, honestly. A friend installed View windows last year and initially loved the interface, but after a few months, he mentioned occasional glitches—nothing major, just annoying stuff like delayed responses or needing to restart the app. Maybe they've improved since then? SageGlass seems less flashy but possibly more reliable software-wise...might be worth considering if you're worried about long-term stability.
- Installed both View and SageGlass for clients over the past couple years—here’s my quick take:
- View definitely has that sleek, futuristic feel. Clients usually love the aesthetics at first glance.
- But yeah, you’re spot-on about the app. Had one customer jokingly call me their “personal IT guy” because of occasional restarts and laggy responses. Nothing major, just mildly annoying stuff.
- To be fair though, recent installs (past 6 months or so) seem smoother. Maybe they’ve ironed out some bugs? Fingers crossed...
- SageGlass feels more like the trusty old workhorse—less flashy but solid. Haven’t had many complaints about software stability there.
- Honestly, both are decent choices. If you’re someone who gets easily annoyed by minor tech hiccups, SageGlass might save your sanity in the long run.
- But if you love cutting-edge design and don’t mind a few quirks here and there, View windows do look pretty slick once installed.
- Either way, smart windows are a nice upgrade—clients rarely regret going for it. Good luck with the decision!
Agree with your points overall. I've noticed View's recent firmware updates improved responsiveness quite a bit. SageGlass still wins on reliability, but View's energy analytics dashboard is pretty impressive—clients into data tracking seem to appreciate it.
Interesting points, especially about the analytics dashboard. I've been following View's updates too, and I gotta admit—their recent improvements caught me off guard. Initially, I was skeptical about their responsiveness claims (you know how marketing can be...), but seeing actual user feedback like yours makes me reconsider.
Still, reliability is a big deal for me. SageGlass has that solid track record, and when you're investing in something as pricey as smart windows, peace of mind counts for a lot. Have you noticed any significant downtime or glitches with View since the firmware update? I'm curious if their improvements are consistent enough to challenge SageGlass's reliability advantage.
Either way, it's encouraging to see competition driving both companies to step up their game. Makes me optimistic about where smart window tech is headed overall.
Totally agree about reliability being key—especially at these prices. I've had View windows installed for about six months now, and honestly, the firmware update did smooth out most of the minor glitches I was seeing (like occasional lag in tint adjustments). Haven't noticed any major downtime since then, just a couple brief hiccups that sorted themselves out pretty quickly.
That said, SageGlass still feels like the safer bet if you're prioritizing long-term stability. They've been around longer, and their customer support is pretty responsive from what I've heard. But View's analytics dashboard is a definite plus if you're into tracking energy savings and performance data closely. I find myself checking it more often than I expected—it's oddly satisfying to see those efficiency numbers tick up.
Either way, competition is definitely pushing both companies forward. Good news for us homeowners, since it means better tech and (hopefully) lower prices down the line...
Interesting points about SageGlass and View, but I wouldn't discount the importance of third-party integrations either. I've been researching smart windows extensively (new homeowner here, so deep dive mode activated...), and View seems a bit limited in compatibility with broader home automation ecosystems. SageGlass, from what I've read, offers more flexibility with platforms like HomeKit or SmartThings. For someone like me who enjoys tinkering and customizing setups, that integration flexibility might outweigh the analytics dashboard perks. Just something else to consider...