REVIEW – Electric Space heaters are gadgets that have been around for almost 150 years in one form or another. The GoveeLife Smart Space Heater Lite connects the modern smart-powered equivalent of this age-old device to the Internet of Things (IoT). I have one to review – read on to see what I think!
What is it?
The GoveeLife Smart Space Heater Lite is a convection heater based on Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) ceramic heating technology. This technology uses a ceramic element versus a resistance element to ensure that the heating element does not get too hot inside the unit. A fan blows air across the elements to distribute the heated air to the room. This heater uses electronic control, relays, a thermostat, and a connection to the internet to permit the heat output to be controlled automatically based on a user setting, the ambient temperature measured by the heater, or a remote temperature sensor.
What’s in the box?
- GoveeLife Smart Space Heater Lite
- User Manual
- Quick start guide
Hardware specs
- Model: H7135
- Indoor/Outdoor Usage: Indoor
- Product Dimensions: 5.9″D x 5.9″W x 9.5″H
- Recommended Heating Coverage: 200 sq.ft.
- Rated Power: low, 900W; Medium, 1200W; High, 1500W
- Item Weight: 3.63 pounds
Design and features
Unboxing
The GoveeLife Smart Space Heater Lite is packaged in a typical brown corrugated cardboard box. The outside of the box has a printed image of the unit. It also includes details of how it can integrate with Google Home and Alexa. The side of the box states that the PTC elements can produce “warm winds” in 3 seconds.
Inside the box, the heater is securely packaged in foam.
Design
The GoveeLife Smart Space Heater Lite looks very similar to many other space heaters, and in particular, the small size and configuration of other ceramic heaters. The front of the heater is dominated by the heater grill and the back is mostly taken up by the fan inlet.
While many heaters on the market these days have knobs, switches, or buttons to select the heater settings, the GoveeLife Smart Space Heater Lite has an entirely electronic control panel built into the top of the unit. The smooth, clutter-free design of the control panel adds a bit of style and class to the heater. One downside to the design is the choice of materials.
The top surface is a mirror finish plastic but made from polyethylene and not a more resilient material like polycarbonate. It is not only a fingerprint magnet but will scratch even if just touching it barehanded. I have decided to keep the protective plastic from the factory on it to preserve the finish below.
The three buttons on the top of the heater are capacitive. They each respond well to finger presses.
Many electronic heaters, either with a resistive element or a ceramic one, have a physical button that must be depressed on the bottom of the unit to ensure that it rests on a flat hard surface and prevents operation if it is tipped. The GoveeLife Smart Space Heater Lite has an internal electronic component that prevents the heater from operating if it is tipped more than 45 degrees from vertical.
The top rear of the unit has an indentation that can be used to grip the top of the heater and carry it from one location to another. Because the heater only weighs about 3 lbs it is very easy to transport.
The cord is permanently attached and is 6 feet long. It is a 16AWG wire. Many extension cords may include 18AWG wire so it is important to use this device plugged into a wall. The directions direct that this should not be used in combination with an extension cord. If you do decide to use an extension cord, ensure that it has a 14AWG wire or larger. Note that larger wires have smaller numbers; the largest size is 0000 AWG which is about 1/2″ thick. When the heater operates at maximum power (1500W) the cord is heated to about 90ºF.
The base of the heater has two soft rubber feet to ensure that it does not slip on a smooth surface. There is also a swing-out flap on the base that can be used to prop the angle of the heater to a 10 degree angle. This 10 degrees doesn’t seem like much but the small incline helps redirect the flow of heated air from across the floor to the bulk of the air in the room.
While it is useful and convenient, I did have the flap snap out of the unit once. It was simple to press back in but if Goveelife could reinforce this design it would be helpful.
Besides the swing-out stand and the top plate materials, the rest of the built quality seems very good. The parts seams all fit together nicely and the materials used seem to be high quality.
The design of the heater is very classical and functional. Other models in the electric heater line offered by Goveelife have gamer-styled RGB night lights or a simulated burning ember on the base. The clean, uncluttered, and professional-looking design of this model makes it appropriate to use anywhere.
Setup
The GoveeLife Smart Space Heater Lite is part of the Govee Home app. The app is a mash-up of all things related to Goveelife products and includes a social media tab, a shopping tab, and a user profile tab. The app also has tabs that relate directly to wireless devices, such as a way to control each item, a way to automate and schedule each device, a way to create scenes where multiple devices are coordinated, and a way to review other users’ integrations.
The GoveeLife devices are part of a separate ecosystem from the TP-link devices, although they can both be controlled by Google Home and Amazon Alexa.
You will have to register an email to set up the device. A Mailinator account will work if you prefer not to use your actual address. After registering the app pairing the device is easy.
Govee uses Bluetooth to transmit the Wi-Fi information and register the device.
I do not have any other Govee devices, so I cannot test how to set up devices to interact on the DistriGate network, which is Govee’s proprietary mesh network, or the AutoReflect, which is a mesh network dedicated to an optimal temperature and humidity within an environment.
Additional setup steps can be used to connect the GoveeLife Smart Space Heater Lite to Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Home, or IFTTT. Setting up Alexa can be done through the Govee app or the Alexa app by linking the Govee skill and then signing in with the registered account. Once that is complete Alexa can turn on/off the space heater and reply with the unit’s temperature. The Google Home integration is also very easy and also works the same way.
The Govee app does not directly support HomeKit, but once the Govee app is installed on an Apple device, a tap-to-run activity set up on the Govee app can be directed to run by Siri. This is a little different than the Alexa and Google implementations because it only works on the device that the Govee app is installed on.
IFTTT also has a Govee implementation and this can work with Alexa, Google, and also Siri by way of the Shortcuts app. The inclusion of IFTTT is especially convenient because this service supports geofencing. using IFTTT, the heater can be set to turn on at a predetermined time based on your location and other factors.
Operation
Operation of the GoveeLife Smart Space Heater Lite is fairly straightforward whether from the app or the control panel on the top of the unit.
Using the control panel requires that the power button be pressed. The heater will turn on to the setting last selected before it was turned off. To change the setting, press the middle button to cycle through low, medium, high, auto, and fan settings. Sadly, there is no way to select the thermostat setpoint from the top of the unit – this must be selected using the app.
The control panel has a timer that can be selected. There are LED lights for 1, 2, and 4 hours. I was surprised to discover that the lights can be used to program a timer from 1 to 7 hours by repeatedly pressing the timer button. The LEDs illuminate to indicate the selected time in binary. for instance, for 7 hours, the 1,2, and 4 illuminate simultaneously.
The heater has a maximum run time of 24 hours, but this can be extended through automation.
Performance
I tested the GoveeLife Smart Space Heater Lite using the sound meter app in a quiet room. The background noise was 36 dB. The noise of the fan at the low and medium settings was 46 dB. The fan noise at the high setting was 53 dB. The measurements were taken 1 meter away from the grill and facing the unit.
I also evaluated the thermal performance of the heating elements. In the image below you can see each of the elements is at about the same color intensity, corresponding to about the same temperature. The maximum temperature registers at about 470 F. There is a bit of a cooler spot on the lower left that has a maximum of about 194 F. While it seems odd that there is a cooler spot, I verified that the heater is drawing a full 1500 while it is on the highest setting.
The fact that the maximum heat is around 475ºF is significant in that this is less than the maximum temperature of 600 F (or higher) that may be found in resistive element heaters.
One other item of note is that the heater keeps the fan on even after the unit is set to the off position. The Coils cool to about 160ºF before the fan shuts off. This is also an added safety feature because the heater will cool down completely in the event of the fan getting knocked over.
What I like
- smart features
- safety features
- quiet performance
What needs to be improved
- control panel materials
- local setpoint control/display
- swing out flap
Final thoughts
The GoveeLife Smart Space Heater Lite elevates the simple space heater to a smart device worthy of consideration. The ability to control the temperature of the heater remotely and intelligently opens up a whole world of convenience and customization. The fact that the heater has built-in electronic control is especially useful since many smart plug controllers cannot operate above 1250 W, and some are limited to less power. If you have a desire for a heat on demand check out the GoveeLife Smart Space Heater Lite today.
Price: $49.99
Where to buy: Amazon and GoveeLife
Source: The sample of this product was provided by GoveeLife.
