Better Power Management on Linux Notebooks with TLP

Productivity Sauce
Although your favorite Linux distribution may already include tools for managing power settings, installing TLP on your notebook won't hurt. In fact, it can extend the battery life without any significant tweaking efforts on your part. TLP packages are available for many mainstream Linux distros, including Debian, Ubuntu, openSUSE, and Arch. To install TLP on Debian, open the /etc/apt/sources.list file for editing and add the following repository:
deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/linrunner/tlp/ubuntu lucid main
Add the PPA's public key:
apt-key adv --keyserver pool.sks-keyservers.net --recv-keys 02D65EFF
Update then the software repositories and install TLP:
apt-get update && apt-get install tlp tlp-rdw
Once you've done that, you can start TLP either by rebooting your machine or running the sudo tlp start command. TLP comes with sensible defaults, so there is no need to get your hands dirty tweaking the tool's settings (although you can do this if you are so inclined). TLP features a handful of useful commands, too. The wifi on | off | toggle and bluetooth on | off | toggle commands can be used to enable, disable, and toggle WiFi and Bluetooth from the command line. The tlp-stat command supports several parameters, including --battery (battery info), --rfkill (status of radio devices), and --temp (processor temperature and fan speed).
comments powered by DisqusSubscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
There's a New Linux AI Assistant in Town
Newelle is a Linux AI assistant that can work with different LLMs and includes document parsing and profiles.
-
Linux Kernel 6.16 Released with Minor Fixes
The latest Linux kernel doesn't really include any big-ticket features, just a lot of lines of code.
-
EU Sovereign Tech Fund Gains Traction
OpenForum Europe recently released a report regarding a sovereign tech fund with backing from several significant entities.
-
FreeBSD Promises a Full Desktop Installer
FreeBSD has lacked an option to include a full desktop environment during installation.
-
Linux Hits an Important Milestone
If you pay attention to the news in the Linux-sphere, you've probably heard that the open source operating system recently crashed through a ceiling no one thought possible.
-
Plasma Bigscreen Returns
A developer discovered that the Plasma Bigscreen feature had been sitting untouched, so he decided to do something about it.
-
CachyOS Now Lets Users Choose Their Shell
Imagine getting the opportunity to select which shell you want during the installation of your favorite Linux distribution. That's now a thing.
-
Wayland 1.24 Released with Fixes and New Features
Wayland continues to move forward, while X11 slowly vanishes into the shadows, and the latest release includes plenty of improvements.
-
Bugs Found in sudo
Two critical flaws allow users to gain access to root privileges.
-
Fedora Continues 32-Bit Support
In a move that should come as a relief to some portions of the Linux community, Fedora will continue supporting 32-bit architecture.