Pi-Hole setup on raspberry pi, block ads, malware, and more

What is pi-hole?

Pi-hole is a smart tool that blocks ads and snoopy trackers across your whole network. It works by intercepting requests for certain websites, keeping out unwanted stuff like ads and trackers before they even reach your devices. You can set it up on devices like Raspberry Pi or in Docker containers, and it uses lists to know what to block. This keeps your internet browsing free from ads and helps protect your privacy by stopping your data from being collected by certain websites. It quietly does its job, making your online experience smoother and safer without you having to do much.

But how does it work?

Pi-hole acts as a DNS server that sits between your network devices and the router. When you try to access google.com for example, you will first need to get the IP address of that domain. Instead of sending the DNS request to your ISP's DNS server or a public DNS server (like Google's or Cloudflare's), your device sends the request to the Pi-hole DNS server.

When requesting Google's IP address from the Pi-Hole DNS, it first checks if that site is inside the blacklist database. If it is, it will block the connection and return a Unable to connect error.

If it is not in the blacklist, it will then go to an upstream recrustive solver, which is basically another perferd DNS server that you can setup in Pi-Hole configuration, such as Cloudflare DNS, Google DNS, and OpenDNS. The response will be sent back to the Pi-Hole wher it will cache the IP address for future requests and then send back the resolved IP address back to the device. Finally, your device uses the IP address provided to connect to the webserver.

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What you will need

Raspberry pi model 3, 4, or 400
Ethernet cable, peripherals, and of course a router

Installation

Step 1: Setup raspberry pi

Prepare SD card : If you don’t have a flashed image already installed on your raspberry pi, flash a microSD card with Raspberry Pi OS using the Raspberry Pi Imager.
- Make sure that you enable ssh and set IP address in configuration if you would like to connect after installation.
Setup: Insert the SD card into the raspberry pi and connect peripherals

Step 2: Connect & Update

Terminal Access: Open a terminal or connect remotely via SSH to your Raspberry Pi.
Update and upgrade the system by running sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade.

Step 3: Install pi-hole

Download Pi-hole: Run the command curl -sSL https://install.pi-hole.net | bash. Official Page
Follow Installer: The installer will guide you through the setup process. Choose your settings as prompted (DNS provider, blocklists, etc.).
Confirm Settings: Confirm the settings before finalizing the installation.

Note

If you haven’t already set a static IP address for your raspberry pi – make sure to do so. Having a static IP address will make sure that your pi-hole gets the same IP address every time. You can either do it on the machine or via your router.

Step 4: Configure router

Router DNS Settings: Access your router's settings and change the DNS settings to point to the Pi-hole IP address. This step ensures all devices using your network benefit from Pi-hole's ad-blocking capabilities.
Depending on your router the configuration might be different, but make sure to look for DNS server configuration.

If you are not able to change the DNS settings in your router, you can instead change it for each device.

Go to the devices Network settings

For Windows go to control panel --> Network and Internet --> Network and Sharing Center --> Select Adapter --> Double Click on Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)

Image source

Step 5: Access Pi-hole Dashboard

Access Admin Interface: Open a web browser and enter the IP address of your Raspberry Pi followed by /admin (e.g., http://0.0.0.0/admin) or by entering http://pi.hole/admin. Here, you'll find the Pi-hole dashboard, allowing you to monitor and manage the ad-blocking functionalities.

Step 6: Maintenance and Customization

Regular Updates: Periodically update Pi-hole using the command pihole -up to ensure you have the latest features and blocklists.
Customize Settings: Explore the settings through on the left side of the dashboard to whitelist/blacklist domains, adjust blocklists, and tailor Pi-hole to your preferences.

Blocking Malware with Pi-hole

To enhance the security of your network, you can use Pi-hole to block known malware domains by adding a malware blocklist. Here's how you can do it:

Step 1: Access the Pi-hole Dashboard

Open the Admin Interface: Open a web browser and enter the IP address of your Raspberry Pi followed by /admin (e.g., http://<IP>/admin) or by entering http://pi.hole/admin.
Login: Log in to the Pi-hole admin dashboard using your password.

Step 2: Add Malware Blocklist

Navigate to Adlists: In the Pi-hole admin dashboard, go to Group Management > Adlists.
Add a Malware Blocklist: In the "Adlists" section, you can add URLs of malware blocklists. Here are my recommended malware blocklists:
Copy the URL of the blocklist you want to add and paste it into the "Address" field. Click Add to add the blocklist to Pi-hole.

Step 3: Update Gravity

Run Gravity: After adding the blocklist, you need to update Pi-hole's gravity database to include the new domains. Go to Tools > Update Gravity and click Update.

Step 4: Verify Blocklist

Check Domains: To ensure the new malware domains are being blocked, you can check the Query Log under Tools > Query Log to see if any of the added domains are being blocked.

By adding these blocklists, Pi-hole will block access to known malware domains, enhancing the security of your network by preventing devices from connecting to malicious sites.

If you ever got stuck or need some additonal help you can find more resources in the Pi-Hole Docs: Pi-hole documentation

Now you can finally enjoy Ad-Free & secure browsing!

Successfully implementing Pi-hole on my Raspberry Pi has not only transformed my browsing experience by eliminating intrusive ads but has also heightened my understanding of network-level ad-blocking solutions. This project serves as a testament to the power and flexibility of open-source tools in enhancing personal privacy and security.