I tested this affordable wall heater — and it's a great way to warm up chilly rooms this winter

Perfect for warming up a mid-sized room, Dreo’s WH517S Smart Wall Heater is not only easy to mount on a wall but is the best space heater for a midsized room.

Its adjustable louvers for directing the air to where it’s needed and it’s a snap to adjust the heater with its easy to use panel, remote control, Dreo app or with voice commands via Alexa or Google Assistant. With more than enough warming potential for the average room, the WH517S is a set-and-forget unit with four winter heating modes as well as a fan-only summer setting. It takes a few minutes to install, but its thirst for electricity can balloon a power bill.

Read on to find out if the Dreo wall heater fits into your home and budget.

Dreo WH517S Smart Wall Heater review: Price and availability

The Dreo WH517S Smart Wall Heater is available on Amazon for $99 and at Walmart for the same price. It falls between the more expensive Lasko 42” model at $165 and the cheaper Vornado VH200, at $70, but can supply roughly the same amount of heat.

Dreo also makes self-standing heaters and several small appliances.

Dreo WH517S Smart Wall Heater review: Design

Dreo wall space heater front design(Image credit: Future)

(Image credit: Future)

(Image credit: Future)

(Image credit: Future)

Appearance-wise, the silver, white and black WH517S heater is so neutral looking it should blend in with just about any décor. It takes up 15.7 x 12.2 x 4.7 inches and when wall-mounted, it leaves a half-inch gap for room air flow into the unit.

The heated air comes out below through black plastic louvers that can be swiveled up or down 30 degrees but not right or left. Be careful, there’s a warning label not to touch them while it’s heating, and it has a child lock setting for extra safety.

The circular 2.4-inch screen prominently shows the current temperature in large white numerals with icons around the periphery for power, heating and Wi-Fi connection. Below are the control panel’s buttons, but you can also adjust the temperature using the remote control, Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri voice control as well as a capable Dreo app. More on that later.

The Dreo heater’s design will please those who appreciate a simple functional aesthetic. And more appealing than the Heat Storm Phoenix Infrared Space Heater, that is another great wall-mounted heater.

Well manufactured, the WH517S’s one-year warranty can be extended if you register. At the moment, Dreo’s support pages don’t have anything specific about the WH517S, but the label on the unit’s side has the company’s support phone number and hours (9AM to 5PM, pacific time).

Dreo WH517S Smart Wall Heater review: Set up

Before starting, I checked the circuit breaker that would power the wall heater and confirmed it was rated at 15 amps. Using the included template with its built-in level, I marked the location of the four mounting screws. After screwing them in, I wrapped the excess power cord on the spool and hung the heater on the wall.

The WH517S’s 1,500 watt heating capacity translates into about 5,000 BTUs of heating potential per hour. This should be more than enough to heat a 200 square foot room on a cold day. The average bedroom in the U.S. is 132 square feet.

I already had the Dreo app on my Pixel 7 phone and after I plugged the WH517S in, the app found it; there’s also an iOS version. I allowed the heater to use my Wi-Fi network and named its room. After I cut off the annoying “Do not remove” tag from the cord, I was done. It took four minutes to install.

Dreo WH517S Smart Wall Heater review: App

(Image credit: Future)

(Image credit: Future)

(Image credit: Future)

The Dreo app's interface is simple, and straightforward. I was able to check the heater’s status and temperature from upstairs, across town and even several states away. The main screen has a power switch, shows the current temperature and whether it’s heating or the fan is on.

Scroll down to the Preferences to turn the unit’s sound and screen off and decide which temperature units to use. In addition to a child lock, the WH517S’s innovative Open Window Detection sends alerts if there’s a sudden temperature drop, such as if a door or windows is left open.

There’s even a place to calibrate the heater’s thermostat. In addition to usage graphs, the heating can be scheduled or connected with Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri voice technology. Much of the remainder of the app is Dreo marketing.

Dreo WH517S Smart Wall Heater review: Heating performance

(Image credit: Future)

(Image credit: Future)

(Image credit: Future)

With safety in mind, the WH517S carries Intertek’s ETL safety certification, a 5VA flammability rating, and can survive a water spray with an IP24 intrusion rating. In other words, it’s OK for a bathroom or garage. More to the point for older homes, its two-prong power plug doesn’t require a three-prong outlet.

Using Dreo’s Hyperamic ceramic heating element, the WH517S quickly circulates warmed air with the unit’s brushless fan. This came close to our winner, the Lasko FH500 heater, that managed to warm up a room within 12 seconds. Its four heating modes include H1 at 136 degrees Fahrenheit and H2 at 167°F. The H3 setting delivered 146°F air with the fan at full blast. There’s also an Eco mode at 146°F air and full fan.

Flexibility rules when it comes to controlling the WH517S with a central panel to turn the heat on and off, set a temperature and use the timer. Its thermostat tops out at 95 degrees Fahrenheit, the included remote control works within about 20 feet and adds the ability to silence the heater’s beeps; it included a single CR2025 watch battery.

Overall, the Dreo WH517S worked well in my 150 square foot hallway where the temperature can drop below 45 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter. Set to 67 degrees, the WH517S had no problem keeping up with old man winter by typically running for about 5 or 10 minutes at a time, keeping the area cozy warm.

Wattage:
At idle, the heater used 0.7 watts, while H1 required 841- and H2 needed 1,188-watts. In H3 mode, the system used 1,398 watts, while the fan consumed an economical 23.9 watts. Its green pretensions are a little murky because the WH517S’s Eco mode consumed 1,396 watts but quickly dropped into idle mode, potentially saving energy.

If the WH517S is actively heating a space for 5 percent of the time in Eco mode and you pay the national average of 16 cents per kilowatt hour of power, the heater should add an estimated $97.80 a year to your electricity bill – about the cost of the WH157S.

Noise:
While Dreo claims the WH517S produces 28dB of noise, in the real world, it hit 39.2-, 40.4- and 44.9dBA in H1, H2 and H3 heating modes, although the fan’s rating was 44.9dBA. This is in a room with a background noise level of 37.0dBA. Similar to the more expensive Dyson Purifier Hot + Cool HP07 we tested, this is significantly quieter than the other heaters.

Dreo WH517S Smart Wall Heater review: Verdict

A set and forget heater that can keep a mid-sized room snug and warm throughout the winter, Dreo’s WH517S easily mounts on a wall with a professional look. With the choice of four heat settings and a fan-only mode, the WH517S can go a long way towards keeping your home snug and comfortable.

Bear in mind, that it is wall-mounted only, so it can't be moved from room to room like other heaters. However, if you’re looking for a more compact model that is portable, we’d recommend the Vornado VH200 Heater.

The heater’s remote control, Dreo’s first rate app and ability to respond to voice commands make it a snap to use.