Touchstone Sideline Elite Smart 42" Review: a slick in-wall electric fireplace that’s all about looks and smart control

I put the Touchstone Sideline Elite Smart 42" in our living room wall about a month ago, mainly because I was tired of staring at a blank TV wall and I didn’t want the hassle of a real gas line or venting. So this is coming from someone who actually bought and installed it, not a contractor or a designer. Short version: it looks good, it’s easy to live with, and the smart features are the part I use the most. It’s not perfect, especially if you expect it to heat a big space, but as a visual centerpiece it does the job really well.

In daily use, what stands out is how simple it is to turn on and tweak from the couch. I barely touch the physical buttons or the included remote. I mostly use the phone app, and occasionally Alexa. The flames are obviously fake, but from normal viewing distance they’re convincing enough that guests comment on it. Nobody has mistaken it for a real wood fire, but people do say it looks nice and modern.

Heat-wise, it’s more of a supplemental heater than a full replacement for your main system. In my case, in a roughly 350–400 sq ft room, it takes the edge off on chilly evenings, but it’s not going to keep the whole floor warm in the dead of winter. If you buy it as a heater first, you’ll probably be a bit underwhelmed. If you buy it as a wall feature with bonus heat, it makes more sense.

Overall, after living with it for a few weeks, I’d say it’s a pretty solid choice if you want a clean built-in look and you’re okay doing a bit of planning for the cutout and wiring. There are cheaper fireplaces out there, but this one feels more solid and the WiFi/Alexa side isn’t a gimmick. Just go in knowing you’re paying mainly for the aesthetics and the smart features, not a powerhouse space heater.

From a value point of view, this sits in that middle zone: not cheap, not crazy high-end. You’re paying for the combination of in-wall design, decent flame effects, and smart features (WiFi, Alexa/Google, app control). If you just want a basic heater, you can spend way less and get a plain space heater that warms the room better for the price. But that’s not really the point here. This is more about looks + convenience, with heat as a bonus.

Compared to cheaper wall-mount electric fireplaces I’ve seen in big-box stores, this one does feel more solid and has way more customization options. The wider flame window on the Elite line versus the regular Sideline is actually noticeable and worth the upgrade in my opinion, especially if this is going in a main living area or as a focal point. If you’re already spending money building a feature wall, the price difference between a basic unit and this one doesn’t feel huge in the grand scheme.

Where the value drops a bit is if you don’t care about smart features. If you’re never going to use Alexa, Google, or a phone app, then you’re paying for stuff you won’t use. In that case, a non-smart model or even a different brand might make more sense. But if you do like controlling your lights, thermostat, and now your fireplace from your phone, the integration here is actually handy and not just a marketing bullet point.

Overall, I’d call the value pretty solid if you want a modern in-wall electric fireplace with smart control and are okay with the price. It’s not a bargain, but it doesn’t feel overpriced for what it offers. There is better pure heating performance out there for the same money, but as a mix of design, features, and decent build, it lands in a reasonable spot.

Design-wise, this thing is clearly aimed at people who like a modern, clean wall. The frame is minimal and black, and the front is basically a tempered glass panel with a wide viewing area and vents that don’t look clunky. Compared to the older or cheaper electric fireplaces I’ve seen in stores, this one doesn’t scream “cheap heater” from across the room. It blends in well under a wall-mounted TV or as part of a built-in unit.

The main design strength is the large flame viewing area. The Elite line shrinks the frame and makes the flames and ember bed the star of the show. You can pick from different media: logs, crystals, and driftwood. I tried all three and ended up using the fake logs most of the time because they look the least cheesy. The crystals give it more of a hotel lobby vibe, which some people might like, but for a home living room I preferred the logs.

The flame effects are where the design feels thought-through. You get 6 flame colors and 10 ember/media bed colors, which you can mix, plus different brightness levels and flame speeds. That gives you a lot of combinations, though in practice you’ll probably end up with 2–3 favorites and stick to those. For example, I mostly use a warm orange flame with a neutral ember color for everyday use, and sometimes a bluish flame when I’m just playing around. The flames are clearly digital but not cartoonish, and from about 8–10 feet away they look decent.

One thing I appreciated is that the vents are on the upper front and don’t ruin the look. Some cheaper models have big ugly grills that remind you it’s basically a space heater. Here, the vents are more integrated and you mostly notice the glass and flames. If you’re going for a clean media wall, this design fits that goal. It’s not fancy or flashy, just simple and modern, which is exactly what I wanted.

In terms of materials, the Touchstone Sideline Elite 42" feels pretty solid for a home product. The body is mostly alloy steel with a glass front. The glass is 4mm tempered glass, which is standard for this kind of product. It’s designed so that if it breaks, it crumbles into small pieces instead of big sharp shards. I didn’t test that on purpose obviously, but it does give a bit more peace of mind if you’ve got kids or pets running around.

The weight (about 45 pounds) is actually a good sign here. When I lifted it into place with a friend, it felt dense and sturdy, not hollow. The metal housing doesn’t flex much, and the mounting points line up cleanly. This also means you really want two people to install it safely, especially if you’re putting it into a higher wall. One person trying to hold it in place and screw it in would be asking for trouble.

The included logs, crystals, and driftwood are clearly fake, but they don’t feel like dollar-store plastic. The logs have a decent molded texture and look fine once the flames and ember lights are on. Up close with the unit off, you can tell they’re fake, but that’s expected. The driftwood pieces look okay but I didn’t love the style, so they went back in the box. The crystals look like typical acrylic fire glass – shiny and clean, more for a modern or glam look than a rustic one.

Overall, I’d say the material quality matches the price point. It doesn’t feel cheap, and it feels like something that’s meant to be built into a wall and left there for years. You can tell it’s not some ultra-luxury product, but it’s definitely a step up from the random budget electric fireplaces you see in big-box stores. For a mid-range in-wall unit, the materials are solid and practical.

On performance, there are three things that matter: flame realism, heat output, and smart control. Flame realism is pretty decent for an electric unit. You get 6 flame colors, 10 ember bed colors, 3 flame speeds, and 5 brightness levels. In practice, the flames have enough movement and variation that they don’t look like a cheap looping GIF. If you’re sitting right up close, you’ll obviously see it’s artificial, but from across the room it does the cozy job well enough.

The heat is rated at 1,500W, with about 5,100 BTUs and coverage up to around 400 sq ft. In my living room (roughly that size), setting it on high helps raise the temperature a few degrees over an hour or so, which is fine for evening use. But if you expect it to be your main heat source, especially in a colder climate, you’ll probably be disappointed. It’s more of a supplemental heater: it takes the chill off and lets you turn down the main thermostat a bit, but it won’t turn a cold basement into a sauna.

The thermostat lets you choose between 68–88°F, and you can pick high or low heat. The vents are at the upper front, and the airflow is noticeable but not loud. Fan noise is there, but it’s more of a low whoosh than a high-pitched whine. We can watch TV with it on without having to raise the volume a lot. There’s also a timer that can go up to 8 hours, which is handy if you’re like me and forget to turn things off before going to bed.

The smart side is where it actually shines a bit. Once you connect it to WiFi and the app, you can control everything from your phone: flame color, ember color, brightness, heat, timers, and schedules. The scheduler is nice—you can set it to turn on and off at set times. Alexa and Google Home control also work fine once set up. I rarely use the physical remote now. For daily use, this is basically a smart light + heater combo that you can tweak from the couch, and that part works reliably.

Installation is where you need to be honest with yourself. This is designed for in-wall recessed mounting, not just hanging like a picture frame. So you’re either cutting into drywall and framing an opening, or having someone do it for you. The manual gives clear dimensions for the rough opening, and they are not just suggestions. I had to recut one side because I tried to give myself extra wiggle room and ended up with a slightly sloppy gap. Once I followed the exact measurements, it fit properly.

You can either plug it into a standard 3-prong outlet or hardwire it. I went with a dedicated outlet in the cavity and plugged it in, because I’m not an electrician and I didn’t want to mess with hardwiring. If you’re not comfortable with electrical work, I’d say at least get an electrician to set up the power part, especially if you plan to hardwire it. The unit itself has a standard cord, so plugging in is simple once the outlet is there.

The physical mounting isn’t complicated, but the unit is heavy enough that you really want a second person. You basically slide it into the opening and secure it with screws through the side flanges into the studs or framing. Touchstone includes drywall anchors and screws in the box. Once it’s in, the front lip covers small imperfections in the drywall cut. The hardest part was honestly just dealing with the dust and making sure the opening was square.

One safety note: they recommend installing it at least 8 inches below the ceiling or anything mounted above it (like a TV). I respected that, and so far no issues with heat on the TV. If you ignore that and cram it right against something, that’s on you. So, in short: DIY is possible if you’re comfortable cutting drywall and doing some basic framing. If that sounds like a nightmare, budget for a contractor and treat this as part of a bigger wall project.

Out of the box, the Touchstone Sideline Elite 42" looks like a fairly serious piece of gear. The unit itself is about 41.75" wide, 19.25" high, and 5.5" deep, and it weighs around 45 pounds, so it’s not some light plastic toy. You get the fireplace, a remote, the glass crystals, fake logs, driftwood pieces, mounting hardware, and the paperwork. No AAA batteries for the remote, which is slightly annoying but not a big deal.

The first impression is that it’s built to be recessed, not just slapped on a wall. The manual gives exact rough opening dimensions (about 40 7/16" wide x 18" high x 5 1/8" deep), and those numbers matter. I had to adjust my framing by about half an inch because I got lazy and eyeballed it first. Lesson learned: measure properly, or you’ll be cursing while trying to get it to sit flush. Once the opening is right, it slides in and screws into place with drywall anchors and screws that are included.

The controls are pretty straightforward. On the unit itself you’ve got basic buttons, then there’s the remote, and then there’s the WiFi/app and voice control. The app side took me maybe 10–15 minutes to set up, including getting it onto my home network and linking it with Alexa. After that, I could say things like “Alexa, turn on fireplace” and adjust flame or heat from the couch. It’s not rocket science, but you do want a decent WiFi signal near where you install it.

So in terms of what you’re buying: this is a 1,500W electric heater with a lot of visual customization (flame colors, ember bed colors, speeds, brightness levels) and smart control. It’s rated for about 400 sq ft of heating. If you expect more than that, you’ll be disappointed. If that’s exactly what you want plus the look of a built-in fireplace, the package makes sense. No surprises, but also no hidden extras beyond what’s listed.