Ever feel like ads are stalking you across the internet? From pop-ups to autoplay video ads, it can be overwhelming. But what if you could block ads on every device in your home—without installing ad blockers on each one?
That’s exactly what Pi-hole does! It acts as a network-wide ad blocker, filtering out ads before they even reach your devices. Less tracking, fewer distractions, and a faster browsing experience.
Let’s go!
📌 What You Need to Get Started
Before we dive into the setup, make sure you have:
✅ Raspberry Pi (Pi 3, 4, or 5 recommended)
✅ MicroSD card (16GB minimum, 32GB+ recommended)
✅ Stable internet connection (Ethernet recommended)
✅ SSH access (or a monitor & keyboard for initial setup)
💡 Bonus: A Pi-case with cooling, like the Electrocookie Case, helps with airflow and style.
🔧 Step 1: Install Raspberry Pi OS
Pi-hole runs on Raspberry Pi OS, so if you haven’t set that up yet:
1️⃣ Flash Raspberry Pi OS onto your microSD card
- Download Raspberry Pi Imager (or Etcher)
- Choose Raspberry Pi OS Lite (no desktop needed)
- Enable SSH
- Flash it onto the SD card using Balena Etcher
2️⃣ Boot Up Your Pi & Enable SSH
- Insert the SD card into your Pi and boot it up
- Open a terminal or connect via SSH (
ssh pi@raspberrypi.local)
🛠️ Step 2: Install Pi-hole
Now for the fun part - installing Pi-hole! 🎯
1️⃣ Run the Pi-hole installation command:
This will start the automated setup process. Follow the prompts!
2️⃣ Choose your network settings:
- Select your preferred DNS provider (Cloudflare, Google, OpenDNS, or Tailscale's MagicDNS, are great choices)
- Set a static IP address (important for Pi-hole to work properly)
3️⃣ Enable the Web Admin Interface:
Pi-hole comes with a web dashboard that lets you see blocked domains and stats. Enable this when prompted!
✅ After installation, Pi-hole will give you an admin password—write it down, or, better yet, generate a strong, unique password and save it in a password manager like 1Password!
🌐 Step 3: Set Pi-hole as Your Network's DNS Server
For Pi-hole to work across all devices, you need to set it as your DNS server in your router:
1️⃣ Log in to your router settings (usually at 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1)
2️⃣ Find the DNS settings (often under LAN or DHCP settings)
3️⃣ Enter your Raspberry Pi’s static IP as the Primary DNS Server
4️⃣ Save and restart your router
💡 Now, every device on your network will automatically route internet traffic through Pi-hole!
📊 Step 4: Monitor & Control Ads with the Pi-hole Dashboard
To access the Pi-hole web dashboard, open a browser and go to:
💡 Login using the admin password you saved earlier!
Here, you can:
✔ See how many ads have been blocked 📊
✔ Add or remove blocked domains 🚫
✔ Temporarily disable Pi-hole if needed ⏸️
❗ Bonus: Customize & Expand Pi-hole
Once Pi-hole is up and running, here are some cool customizations:
✅ Whitelist Important Sites – Some banking or shopping sites might break with aggressive ad-blocking.
✅ Add More Blocklists – Use firebog.net to find additional lists for even stronger ad-blocking.
✅ Use Pi-hole with Unbound – Make your own private DNS resolver for extra privacy.
⚠️ Troubleshooting Tips
💡 Not blocking ads?
✔ Check that your devices are using Pi-hole as the DNS server
✔ Run pihole -r to repair the installation
💡 Some websites aren’t working?
✔ Check the Pi-hole dashboard for blocked domains
✔ Temporarily disable Pi-hole using the following command: pihole disable 10m
📊 Quick Setup Overview (For the TL;DR Crowd)
| Step | What to Do |
|---|---|
| 1. Install Raspberry Pi OS | Flash OS, enable SSH, connect to Pi |
| 2. Install Pi-hole | Run curl command, follow setup |
| 3. Set as Network DNS | Change router settings |
| 4. Use the Dashboard | View stats, manage settings |
🎬 Final Thoughts: Enjoy an Ad-Free Internet!
That’s it! You’ve successfully set up Pi-hole on your Raspberry Pi, giving you network-wide ad blocking for a cleaner, faster, and more private browsing experience.
💬 Have any questions or need help? Drop a comment below!
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