Is anyone out there making use of smart film?

I'm looking for a solution for my bathroom and toilet windows.
We don't have curtains which is a bit annoying for guests, so I'm thinking of installing smart film and integrating with C4 - for example turn on the light and the film goes opaque.

Cheers

Curious so following

looked at this a few years ago but only scratched the surface 

I have it on my front door window. There's a switch by the door that turns it on (makes it transparent). I use it sort of like a peep hole. I thought this was going to really freak people out, but most people never even notice. But it's definitely a really cool effect. I do not have it integrated with Control4, namely because the only time we use it is when we are standing at the door, so I didn't bother to put in a C4 switch. But there's no reason it couldn't be. 

You'll need to use a switch and not a dimmer, at least according to what I was told. So I'd verify with the company before trying a C4 dimmer. A C4 switch should work though.

One thing to keep in mind is that it's never fully transparent. It always has a slight fog. You can see through it fine, but it wouldn't be good for most windows because they'd always be slightly foggy. It would be great for a shower door, a bathroom window or clearstory windows though.

Here's a video showing how it works. It looks really clear in the video, but in person it's more obviously not fully transparent.

John

 

Very cool.  I could use this in my home office as when it is really sunny out I get too much light streaming in from the window and screws up the lighting for Zoom calls.  It would be great to be able to instantly flip a switch and solve the problem,

Yup, switch if it's high voltage, or a simple relay if it's low voltage

Definitely very cool! I looked it a few years ago but the pricing was exorbitant at the time... 

9 minutes ago, South Africa C4 user said:

Definitely very cool! I looked it a few years ago but the pricing was exorbitant at the time... 

Still is unfortunately.  I just wish they found a way to not have the foggyness on the clear/ON setting.  I'd put the film in instead of shades personally.

I'd do it in conjunction with shades.  My windows arent super deep so to get "blackout" coverage in our bedroom is near impossible.  We could add drapes or something to help but I always thought this film + blackout rollers would do the trick and look less bulky than curtains/drapes, etc

My wife is a curtain freak, so I have them anyways.  Don't require blackouts either, just the privacy would be nice.

1 hour ago, lippavisual said:

My wife is a curtain freak, so I have them anyways.  Don't require blackouts either, just the privacy would be nice.

lucky you?!!?  not sure if that is a good or bad thing.  🙂  We put curtains in 1 room but that is our "formal" dining room.  when i've asked about adding them to our bedroom to help with the light leak on the side of the black out rollers i just get a shoulder shrug.  if i could find a way to eliminate some of that light bleed and get real black out ability in my bedroom I'd certainly be happier person in the morning when I wake up.  

Probably should have wired for this prior to my reno when walls were open, etc

6 minutes ago, eggzlot said:

lucky you?!!?  not sure if that is a good or bad thing.  🙂  We put curtains in 1 room but that is our "formal" dining room.  when i've asked about adding them to our bedroom to help with the light leak on the side of the black out rollers i just get a shoulder shrug.  if i could find a way to eliminate some of that light bleed and get real black out ability in my bedroom I'd certainly be happier person in the morning when I wake up.  

Probably should have wired for this prior to my reno when walls were open, etc

Good luck... I toyed with the idea of adding curtains in the bedroom for this exact reason and had little support. I wasted 5 or 6 years thinking about it and once I did it, my wife loved it... nights for the last year have been infinitely better!

I've got fully enclosed black-outs on my bedroom windows, the blind actual slides in a aluminum track - no light bleeding 😄

21 hours ago, johnpg said:

I have it on my front door window. There's a switch by the door that turns it on (makes it transparent). I use it sort of like a peep hole. I thought this was going to really freak people out, but most people never even notice. But it's definitely a really cool effect. I do not have it integrated with Control4, namely because the only time we use it is when we are standing at the door, so I didn't bother to put in a C4 switch. But there's no reason it couldn't be.

 

Where did you purchase from and were you able to install yourself?

I'm looking for three sheets for my main bathroom and one for the main toilet.
Three of the four sheets will go on opening windows, so the wires need to be flexible or long enough to allow the gap when opened.

I'm thinking one circuit for the three in the bathroom.
assuming these are low voltage, I'd most likely use an external power supply controlled by C4 relay, triggered on/off by the room's dimmer (to begin with, if it becomes a hassle, I could add an additional switch)

I've got no idea where to buy from, been looking on eBay and Amazon, as nothing local in NZ.
And hesitant to buy high price items without a recommendation.

 

1 hour ago, brucecampbell said:

 

Where did you purchase from and were you able to install yourself?

I'm looking for three sheets for my main bathroom and one for the main toilet.
Three of the four sheets will go on opening windows, so the wires need to be flexible or long enough to allow the gap when opened.

I'm thinking one circuit for the three in the bathroom.
assuming these are low voltage, I'd most likely use an external power supply controlled by C4 relay, triggered on/off by the room's dimmer (to begin with, if it becomes a hassle, I could add an additional switch)

I've got no idea where to buy from, been looking on eBay and Amazon, as nothing local in NZ.
And hesitant to buy high price items without a recommendation.

 

I bought from https://www.smarttint.com and my contractor (who was remodeling my house) did the install. Mine is low voltage and just wired to a normal on/off switch. 

John

 

as far as I know, at subzero temperatures, they require heating and their own thermostat

15 hours ago, Cyknight said:

I've got fully enclosed black-outs on my bedroom windows, the blind actual slides in a aluminum track - no light bleeding 😄

That’s what I did at my beach house and it is definitely brilliant... Not practical to retrofit at my main home (hence blinds and curtains - which is 99% effective but still not the same).

Use its loads of times, did a whole house with them everywhere

See video below from my instagram. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/B7G3o0JgCA2/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Film was applied by a guy i know who does window car tints, he did a great job!

They have dimmable driver packs with them, connected them upto lutron module added in an occupancy sensor.

I got them all custom made for the windows from china, really good if you ask me!

Thanks 

Muj

On 1/22/2021 at 4:08 PM, mujtaba.khokhar said:

I got them all custom made for the windows from china, really good if you ask me!

If you dont mind, which company / website did you get the blinds from, may be worthwhile looking at as Im busy with blinds/ curtains in my new build

Are there any downsides to having smart tint instead of blinds? Someone mentioned something about cold weather earlier. Just trying to find out more about the product. 

For details it's best to talk to specialist directly.

One downside I can think of is that, depending on the quality to a degree, is that tinting will not really block people outside in the dark from seeing inside where it's light.

Weather (especially extreme cold) can affect them, in some rare cases kill them, so again this is something best discussed with a regional specialist carrying them,

There's options for all climates (with or without heating) but as with most things, there's usually a price associated with it. We don't see many here for that very reason.

On 1/25/2021 at 6:06 PM, Wayne said:

If you dont mind, which company / website did you get the blinds from, may be worthwhile looking at as Im busy with blinds/ curtains in my new build

it was a company in china, will get the details for you and post back!

Thanks 
Muj

Watching this one carefully.  I have a few uses for it if the cabling isn't too obtrusive.

Watching as well.  I have a bathroom with a window in the shower that faces other buildings.  Either going to need permanent frosted glass or a solution like this.  To Cyknight's point, it's cold here so I need something that would work.  Window isn't that big so I am not sure how expensive it would be.

Looks like for me I'd want Electrochromic film because I'd want it to be clear when off...

11 hours ago, Topspin14m said:

I have a bathroom with a window in the shower that faces other buildings

Wouldn't recommend for a bath room. First, a lot of condensation isn't great, but more importantly, second: people will likely still see you in all your glory when taking a shower at night...

11 hours ago, Cyknight said:

Wouldn't recommend for a bath room. First, a lot of condensation isn't great, but more importantly, second: people will likely still see you in all your glory when taking a shower at night...

Is that latter comment true of any type of smart film/a comment about frosting glass generally vs. blinds?  Only other choice is to frost it permanently because it’s literally in the shower.  Not sure that will help more.

I think I can eliminate the condensation issue by using double paned glass or something.