How to install PS4FanControl on any PS4 Linux distro (Ubuntu, Fedora, Nobara, Pop OS)?

Does your PS4 overheat on Linux? Or, do you plan on overclocking? In any of these scenarios, it is really important to keep PS4 temperature in check. So, in this article, I will teach you how you can install PS4FanControl app on PS4 Linux distro.

The steps for installation of this app are the same on any distro. But, if you are on Arch or an Arch-based distro, you can follow the instructions on PS4FanControl’s GitHub page (given below).

Before we begin, let me quickly introduce the app -PS4FanControl to you guys?

What does PS4FanControl App do?

It is self-explanatory, but, let me explicitly state it anyways, so that there is no confusion as it could sometimes be misunderstood. See, the PS4FanControl app doesn’t directly set the fan speed or fan RPM (rotations per minute). Instead, it directly controls the threshold temperature, which in turn indirectly controls the fan speed.

So, if you were to set the threshold temperature at 60 degrees on PS4FanControl, the fan speed would increase only when the PS4 APU crosses the 60 degrees limit. I hope you understand that now.

Requirements

PS4 running Linux

This won’t work on Orbis, PS4’s default OS. For temperature control on Orbis, we do already have payloads. So, that won’t be covered here. As for the distro, you can select from the multitude of distros already available. Check our PS4 Linux Distro download section. Remember that the steps in this tutorial will work on any PS4 Linux distro.

PS4FanControl App

Download the app from Ps3ita’s Github page. You have to download the file named ps4fancontrol.

PS4FanControl systemd unit file

This is optional, and is only necessary if you wish to make the PS4FanControl setting persistent. This would alleviate the need to run the app every time you restart. Using the unit file, you can be sure that the app runs automatically on every startup. Download it here.

Now, we are ready to begin with the installation of the app.

If you prefer a detailed video guide, here it is.

Video Guide: Install PS4FanControl on any PS4 Linux distro

Or, if you love reading, here are the steps to follow.

Install PS4FanControl on any PS4 Linux distro

1. Open a terminal in the folder containing the file, ps4fancontrol that you downloaded earlier.
2. Type sudo chmod +x ps4fancontrol and press Enter.
3. Type sudo mv ps4fancontrol /usr/bin and press Enter.
4. Open a terminal anywhere, type sudo ps4fancontrol and press Enter. This will start the application.
5. Set your desired threshold temperature, click Save and then Exit.

There are a few points for consideration here. In the third step we moved the app to the bin folder, to add it to the path. Doing that, you could start the app system-wide from any terminal, regardless of the folder you are in. Else, you would have been able to run the app only from the folder which contains the app.

Secondly, even if you exit the app, the app will continue to adjust the temperature and fan speed during the current session. Just make sure that you click Save after setting the temperature. That said, the app will not automatically start during the next session, i.e., after a restart.

To set it to automatically fire up during startup, follow the instructions given below.

Start PS4FanControl automatically on startup on any PS4 Linux distro

The following steps assume you have already completed the steps above and have saved after setting the desired temperature. Given that’s the case, follow these steps to add PS4FanControl to startup.

1. Go to the folder containing the file, ps4fc.service that you downloaded earlier and open a terminal there.
2. Type sudo mv ps4fc.service /etc/systemd/system and press Enter.
3. Then, type sudo systemctl daemon-reload and press Enter.
4. Finally, to enable it on startup, type sudo systemctl enable ps4fc and press Enter.
5. That’s it!

How to monitor temperature on PS4 Linux?

With the threshold temperature set, you might love to monitor the realtime temperature on the PS4 Linux distro, right? Follow these instructions to monitor the realtime temperature.

1. Install lm sensor libs.
   • On Ubuntu and Ubuntu-based distros, open terminal, type sudo apt install lm-sensors and press Enter.
   • On Fedora and Fedora-based distros, open terminal, type sudo dnf install lm_sensors and press Enter.
2. To check the current temperature, open a terminal, type sensors and press Enter.

Conclusion

I hope you were able to get PS4FanControl working on a PS4 Linux distro of your choice. By the way, remember that you can always change the threshold temperature by firing up the app from terminal and saving before exiting. Good luck! And, as always, if you need help, I am just a comment away!