Touchstone Sideline Elite Smart 42" Review: a sleek in-wall electric fireplace with real smart-home chops

I’ve had the Touchstone Sideline Elite Smart 42" in the wall for a bit now, and I’ll be straight: I bought it more for looks than for heat. I just wanted that fireplace vibe under the TV without dealing with gas lines, venting, or cleaning ashes. This one sits recessed in the wall, plugs into a standard outlet (or can be hardwired), and you control it with a remote, an app, or Alexa/Google. On paper, it sounds a bit overkill for what’s basically a fancy heater with lights, but in daily use it’s actually pretty practical.

I installed it in a living room that’s a bit over 400 sq ft, semi-open to the kitchen. I didn’t expect it to fully replace the main heating, and it doesn’t, but it does take the edge off when it’s a bit chilly. The main draw for me is the flame look and the fact that I can just say “Alexa, turn on fireplace” and the thing fires up without me touching anything. That part, I use a lot more than I expected.

If you’re expecting real wood-fire warmth and crackling sounds, this is obviously not that. It’s a 1,500W electric heater with LED flames. But if you want something that looks modern, sits flush in the wall, and gives you a bunch of customization without a lot of maintenance, it fits that role pretty well. It’s not perfect, and there are a couple of annoyances (mainly heat output vs room size and installation not being as plug-and-play as the marketing makes it seem), but overall it does what I bought it for.

So I’ll walk through how it’s been in real life: how it looks, how it heats, how annoying or not the install is, and whether all the smart features are actually useful or just gimmicks. Think of this as what I’d tell you if you were standing in my living room staring at the thing and asking, “So, worth it or not?”

In terms of value, this fireplace sits in that middle-to-upper price range for electric units. You can definitely find cheaper electric fireplaces, especially freestanding ones or wall-mount models that just hang on the surface. But those usually look cheaper, have fewer flame options, and don’t integrate with Alexa/Google. Here, you’re paying for three main things: the in-wall recessed look, the smart features, and the better flame customization.

Compared to basic electric fireplaces I’ve used, this one feels more like a permanent part of the room rather than a temporary appliance. That matters if you’re doing a full wall build-out with a TV and shelves. The included logs, driftwood, and crystals also save you from buying extra decor kits. The 1,500W heater is standard for the category, so you’re not getting more raw heat for the money, but you are getting a cleaner design and more control over the aesthetic and automation.

Where the value is a bit mixed is if you don’t care about smart stuff and you just want heat plus a simple flame. In that case, you could go with the regular Sideline model or another brand and save some cash. The Elite version makes the most sense if you actually plan to use the WiFi, the app, the scheduling, and the color combinations. If those are just “nice to have” for you, it’s still a good unit, but you’re not squeezing all the value out of it.

Overall, I’d call it good value for a modern, built-in look with real smart-home integration, but not a budget pick. If you’re already spending money on a feature wall or renovating a living room, it fits right in. If you just want something to warm up a spare room, this is probably more money and effort than you need to spend.

The design is where this fireplace earns its keep. The front is mostly glass and flame, with a pretty thin black metal frame around it. Compared to a lot of older electric fireplaces with chunky trims and fake brass or weird plastic, this one looks clean and modern. The Elite line has a wider viewing window and more subtle vents than the regular Sideline, and you can see that right away – it looks less like a space heater and more like a built-in feature.

The vents are at the top front, but they’re not too in-your-face. Once it’s in the wall, what you mainly notice is the flame area. I went with the standard log set because I prefer the classic look, but the included driftwood and crystals give you more of a contemporary style if that’s your thing. Being able to swap those out without buying extras is nice. The frame finish is a matte-ish black steel that doesn’t scream “cheap paint,” and it blends with most TV walls or built-ins.

From a practical standpoint, the dimensions are important. The recessed opening needs to be about 40 7/16" wide x 18" high x 5 1/8" deep. If your wall cavity is shallower than that, you’re going to have fun trying to make it work. The advice “measure twice, buy once” is not just a slogan here – if you’re off by even half an inch on width or height, you’re going to be patching drywall. Once in, it sits flush and looks like it was always part of the wall, which is what I wanted.

My only real complaint on design is that it still looks like an electric fireplace if you stare at it – meaning, if you’re expecting it to perfectly mimic a wood-burning setup, you’ll notice the LED pattern and the uniformity. It’s one of the better-looking electric flame effects I’ve seen, but it’s still LEDs behind glass. From a couple of meters away, with the room lights dimmed, it does the job visually. Up close in full daylight, you remember it’s a screen with lights. For what it is, though, the design is pretty solid and fits nicely in a modern living room or bedroom.

Material-wise, the Touchstone Sideline Elite Smart 42" feels like a step above the bargain units I’ve seen in big box stores. The outer body is alloy steel, and it has some weight to it – around 45 pounds. That’s annoying during installation but reassuring once it’s on the wall. It doesn’t flex or feel flimsy when you handle it. The finish on the black frame is consistent, and I didn’t see any weird paint drips or rough edges on my unit.

The front glass is 4mm tempered glass. That’s pretty standard for this type of product, but it’s good to see they actually mention it. Tempered glass is designed to crumble into small pieces instead of big sharp shards if it breaks. Obviously, I didn’t go and smash it to test that, but just tapping and cleaning it, it feels sturdy. It does collect fingerprints and dust like any glass, so keep a microfiber cloth handy if you’re picky about that.

The included media (logs, driftwood, crystals) are what you’d expect: not museum-quality replicas, but decent enough once they’re inside and lit up. The logs look the most natural in my opinion. The crystals and driftwood lean more modern. They’re not fragile, and swapping them out is easy, so you can change the look without worrying about breaking anything. The internal components – fan, heating element – you don’t see much of, but noise levels and consistent heat suggest they’re not total junk.

One thing to keep in mind: because it’s built with heavier materials, installation is not a one-person job unless you like suffering. Getting it into the recessed opening and holding it steady while you secure it is way easier with two people. Once mounted, it sits flush and doesn’t rattle or vibrate, even when the fan is on high. So in terms of materials and build, I’d say it’s pretty solid for the price range. Not luxury-level, but definitely not cheap plastic either.

On the performance side, I’d split it into two things: heat and visual effect. For heat, it’s a 1,500W unit rated for around 400 sq ft. In my semi-open living room that’s slightly larger than that, it doesn’t make the room toasty on its own, but it definitely takes the chill off. On high, you can feel the warm air blowing out of the top vent within a minute or two. It’s not screaming loud – just a low fan noise that blends into the background if you’ve got a TV on. If your room is big or drafty, don’t count on this as your only heat source; think of it as a booster.

The thermostat range is 68–88°F, and you can switch between high and low heat. In practice, I mostly use high when it’s actually cold and low when I just want a bit of warmth to go with the flames. The thermostat is okay, but like most electric fireplaces, it’s not super precise. It reads the air around the unit, not the whole room, so if you’re sitting far away, your experience might not match the number on the display. Still, it’s good enough for casual use, and I’d rather have it than just on/off.

Now, the flames: that’s where this thing is clearly built to impress. You’ve got 6 flame colors (classic orange, blue, mix, etc.) and 10 media bed colors. They run independently, so you can do warm flames with neutral embers or go full color-party mode if you’re into that. There are 3 flame speeds and 5 brightness levels. I ended up using the slower speeds and mid brightness most of the time; the fastest speed looks a bit fake to me, but some people might like the more active look.

What I liked is that the flame effect actually looks decent in both daytime and nighttime. During the day, you’re not going to get the same impact as at night, but it doesn’t completely wash out. At night, with the room lights low, it gives you that cozy background movement that makes the room feel less empty. There’s no crackling sound by default, so if you want that, you’ll need a soundbar or app playing fireplace sounds. Overall, performance-wise, it does its job: it looks good, it heats reasonably well for a supplemental unit, and it runs quietly enough that it doesn’t annoy you during a movie.

Out of the box, the Touchstone Sideline Elite Smart 42" feels like a solid, mid-to-high range electric fireplace, not some flimsy Amazon special. The unit itself is about 41 3/4" wide, 19 1/4" high, and 5 1/2" deep, and it weighs around 45 pounds, so it’s not light. You get the fireplace, a remote, the mounting hardware (drywall anchors and screws), and three types of media: logs, driftwood, and crystals. That’s actually nice because you can change the look without buying extra kits.

The fireplace is rated at 1,500W, 120V, with a claimed heating coverage of about 400 sq ft and 5,100 BTU. It’s designed mainly for in-wall recessed installation, though you can technically just plug it into a regular 3-prong outlet or hardwire it if you’re doing a more permanent setup. The front is a black steel frame with a glass panel, and the vents are on the upper front area, which matters if you’re putting a TV above it. They recommend at least 8 inches below the ceiling or anything mounted above, and I’d honestly stick to that or a bit more to be safe.

Feature-wise, there’s a decent list: two heat settings (high/low), a thermostat from 68–88°F, 3 flame speeds, 5 brightness levels, 6 flame colors, and 10 media bed colors. The flames and the bed colors are independent, so you can mix, for example, orange flames with blue crystals if you like that kind of thing. Everything can be controlled by the remote or the WiFi app, and it works with Alexa and Google Home. The app also adds timers and scheduling, which the basic remote doesn’t handle as nicely.

In practice, the first impression is: this is a modern-looking, feature-heavy electric fireplace that’s clearly made to be a permanent part of a wall, not something you just stick in a corner and forget. It’s not tiny, it’s not feather-light, and it’s not a quick “plug it in and you’re done” if you want it recessed. If you’re okay with that and you actually plan to use the smart features, the package makes sense. If you just want a cheap heater with a simple orange flame, this is probably overkill.

The smart side of this fireplace is actually one of the reasons I went for the Elite version instead of a simpler model. It connects to WiFi, works with Alexa and Google Home, and has its own app. Setting it up took a bit of patience – typical smart-home stuff – but once it was paired, it’s been stable. I can turn it on and off, adjust flame colors, brightness, and heat levels, all from my phone or by voice. In practice, I use voice for quick on/off and the app when I want to tweak the look.

One thing I liked is the scheduler and timer in the app. You can set it to turn on at a certain time and shut off after a set duration (up to 8 hours). For example, I sometimes set it to come on an hour before I usually sit down in the evening, so the room already feels a bit warmer and looks nicer when I walk in. The remote that comes with it works fine too, but once the app is set up, the remote mostly lives in a drawer. The remote does need AAA batteries (not included), which is a small annoyance but pretty standard.

The fireplace can remember flame settings and can even be turned on by a wall switch or smart plug if you hardwire it and set it up that way. That’s more for people doing full-on smart home integration, but it’s nice that it doesn’t forget your settings every time you cut the power. The unit also has safety features like being vent-free and electric-only, so no gas, no real flame, and no need for a chimney. It’s not cool to the touch on the vent area when running heat, but the glass itself doesn’t get dangerously hot like a real wood stove.

Effectiveness-wise, I’d say the smart features are genuinely useful if you’re already into Alexa/Google and you use routines. If you’re not into smart stuff and just want a heater with a basic remote, you’re paying for features you’ll probably ignore. But for me, being able to just say “turn on fireplace” and not hunt for another remote has made me use it way more often than I would have otherwise.

On installation, don’t let the “easy to install” marketing fool you into thinking this is like setting up a table lamp. It’s absolutely doable as a DIY project, but you need to be comfortable cutting drywall, measuring accurately, and possibly dealing with electrical if you want it hardwired. I had a contractor handle the rough opening and wiring because we were redoing the wall anyway, and they didn’t have any complaints about the instructions. The manual is clear enough, but you do need to follow the dimensions exactly.

The biggest things to watch out for: wall depth, stud placement, and what’s behind the drywall (wires, pipes, etc.). The unit needs about 5 1/8" depth recessed, so if your wall is shallow or you’re dealing with an exterior wall with insulation, plan ahead. Also, because it weighs 45 pounds, you don’t want it hanging off just drywall anchors if you can avoid it. Try to tie into studs or build a proper frame. Once mounted properly, it feels solid and doesn’t move or wobble.

As for durability, I obviously haven’t had it for years yet, but so far it’s been promising. No weird noises, no flickering LEDs, and the fan hasn’t started rattling, which is usually the first thing that goes on cheap electric heaters. The tempered glass has held up fine to regular cleaning, and the black frame hasn’t chipped or scratched with normal use. Based on the build and the feel of the controls, I’d expect it to last several seasons at least, assuming you’re not running it 24/7 as your main heat source.

The only long-term concern I’d flag is that smart features always depend on apps and servers. If Touchstone ever stops updating the app or changes something, worst case you’d still have the remote, but some of the convenience might go away. That’s just the reality with any WiFi gadget. As a pure electric fireplace, though, the hardware itself feels like it’s built to stick around, not something you’ll be replacing next year.