Ceramic (IR) Window Tinting in Connecticut

The two names describe the same kind of film from different angles. Ceramic is the material: microscopic ceramic particles suspended in the film instead of dye or metal. IR is what that material is tuned to block, the infrared part of sunlight you feel as heat. Kepler sells its ceramic films as IR and IR+, so when a quote says IR tint, ask which of the two ranges and which shade, because the published performance differs between them.

Sunlight reaches the glass as visible light, ultraviolet and infrared, and film treats them separately. Kepler publishes over 99% UV protection for its ceramic ranges, with UV transmittance below 1% on every shade, and infrared rejection of up to 81% on IR and up to 98% on IR+. Visible light is the shade itself, listed as a VLT percentage film by film. No single number covers all three, so read the figures for the shade you are quoted rather than the headline.

A ceramic film gives you a shade plus infrared and UV performance from the same layer, with no metal in the construction. In practice that means heat control and glare reduction on a film that leaves phone, GPS and keyless entry signals alone, which is the main working difference from older metallic tints. Kepler also states its ceramic films are engineered to resist fade, haze and discoloration, and backs them with a Warranty Information against manufacturing defects.

Cost depends on the vehicle, how many windows you are having done and which range and shade you choose. Kepler makes the film but does not fit it, so the number that counts comes from the independent dealer who does. For indicative pricing, see our pricing guides page. Your enquiry then goes to an independent local tinter, who confirms the final price and what it includes before anything is booked.

Newly fitted film needs a settling period, and the installer who applies it will tell you how long to leave the windows up and what to expect while any haze clears. After that, clean the glass with a soft cloth and a mild cleaner, and keep abrasive pads and scrapers off the filmed side. It is worth knowing the state rules before you settle on a shade, which are set out on our window tint laws page. Careful cleaning and the right shade are most of what keeps ceramic film looking and performing as it should.

Our care guide covers cleaning and aftercare in more detail: window film care.

Not in a way that produces a real number. A lamp and thermometer at home vary with the glass, the distance, the room and the time of day, so the result tells you very little about the film. The figures worth comparing are the ones published for the exact range and shade, measured under standard conditions, and your dealer can show you the sheet for the film being quoted. Connecticut does measure one thing officially, and that is light transmission, at a DMV inspection lane.

Connecticut regulates how much light gets through the glass, not which film you choose. The DMV states that a window must have an allowable light transmittance of no less than 35 percent, plus or minus three percent, to receive a tint compliance sticker, and that any window darkened after factory delivery counts as aftermarket tint. The detail sits on our Connecticut window tint laws page, and the DMV publishes the current requirements and forms itself.

Aftermarket tint is tested at a DMV inspection lane, where the sticker is fitted to the window. The standard is not the same for every window: with left and right side mirrors present the rear-most window falls outside it, and windows behind the driver on trucks, buses and multi-purpose vehicles may be darker. A medical exemption can be granted where a condition requires tint between 32 percent and not less than 20 percent. Because the reading is taken through your glass and the film together, agree the shade against the limit that applies to each window before the work is booked.

Dyed film gives you a shade and not much else, while metallic film buys heat rejection by putting a reflective metal layer in front of your antennas. Kepler's ceramic ranges are metal-free, so the heat work is done by ceramic particles and reception is left alone, and Kepler states the films are built for color stability against fade, haze and discoloration. The trade-off is price, which is why it pays to match the range to what you actually want the film to do.

It depends on what you want fixed. If it is only the look, a basic film delivers a shade. If it is the heat coming through the glass on a summer afternoon, a nano-ceramic film is doing measurably more, and Kepler publishes those figures shade by shade so you can see what you are buying. Metal-free construction and a Warranty Information against manufacturing defects are the other reasons drivers step up to it.

Start with the online pricing on this page, or go through the find a tinter page for Connecticut. Kepler manufactures the film and makes the introduction; an independent Kepler dealer takes it from there, confirming availability, price and fitting arrangements with you directly. Kepler states that it does not handle installation or deal with warranty claims directly with vehicle owners, so keep the details of whoever fits your film.