Network-Wide Ad Blocking with Pi-hole on Raspberry Pi

Introduction

Network-wide ad blocking can significantly enhance your online experience by eliminating unwanted advertisements across all your devices. In this guide, we'll walk you through setting up Pi-hole on a Raspberry Pi for efficient ad blocking.

Prerequisites

Before we start, ensure your Raspberry Pi is up and running with an internet connection. A basic understanding of command-line operations will be helpful.

Disabling the Default DNS Server

First, disable any existing DNS server running on port 53:

sudo systemctl stop system-resolved.service
sudo systemctl disable system-resolved.service

Update your DNS resolver:

sudo nano /etc/resolv.conf

Replace the existing nameserver with Google DNS:

nameserver 8.8.8.8

Installing Pi-hole

Prepare for Installation
- Pi-hole is a software that configures a DNS server to block specified domains and provides a web interface for management.
Run the Installation Script
- To install Pi-hole, execute the following command:
```
curl -sSL https://install.pi-hole.net | sudo bash
```
Follow the Setup Wizard
- The installation wizard will guide you through setting up your Raspberry Pi as a network-wide ad blocker.
Donate (Optional)
- Consider supporting Pi-hole development by following donation steps when prompted.
Set a Static IP Address
- Configure a static IP through your router using DHCP reservation in addition to the wizard's setup.
Choose an Upstream DNS Provider
- Use the <kbd>ARROW</kbd> keys to select a provider like Cloudflare, and press <kbd>ENTER</kbd>.
Manage Block Lists
- Select or deselect third-party block lists using <kbd>ARROW</kbd> and <kbd>SPACEBAR</kbd>.
Set Protocols
- Choose the protocols for blocking ads, typically both IPv4 and IPv6.
Confirm Network Settings
- Ensure the displayed settings for the static IP are correct.
Web Admin Interface
- Install the web interface to easily manage Pi-hole settings and view statistics.
Logging DNS Queries
- Recommended to keep logging on for tracking domains and viewing analytics.
Privacy Settings
- Choose your preferred level of privacy, with "0 Show everything" providing complete stats.

Accessing the Pi-hole Web Interface

After installation, access the Pi-hole admin interface via:

http://<Your_RPi_IP>/admin/

Log in with the provided password.
Explore dashboards like Query Log, Whitelist, Blacklist, and more.

Additional Configuration

Change Password: Use the command sudo pihole -a -p.

Install Additional Packages:

sudo apt install php-sqlite3
sudo apt install libsqlite3-dev
usermod -aG pihole www-data
``

View Logs:
```
sudo tailf /var/log/apache2/error.log
```
Repair/Reconfigure: Use pihole -r.

Docker Setup

Here's how to set up Pi-hole with Docker:

Create Docker Volumes

docker volume create pihole_app
docker volume create dns_config

Disable Default DNS Resolver

sudo systemctl stop systemd-resolved
sudo systemctl disable systemd-resolved

Setup Docker Compose File

Create a docker-compose.yml:

version: "3"
services:
  pihole:
    container_name: pihole
    image: pihole/pihole:latest
    ports:
      - "53:53/tcp"
      - "53:53/udp"
      - "67:67/udp"
      - "80:80/tcp"
    environment:
      TZ: 'America/Dhaka'
      WEBPASSWORD: YOUR_VERY_SECURE_PASSWD
    volumes:
      - './etc-pihole:/etc/pihole'
      - './etc-dnsmasq.d:/etc/dnsmasq.d'
    cap_add:
      - NET_ADMIN
    restart: unless-stopped
    dns:
      - 127.0.0.1
      - 8.8.8.8

Clear DNS Cache: Run ipconfig /flushdns and ping youtube.com to test.

Conclusion

Setting up network-wide ad blocking with Pi-hole on a Raspberry Pi is a powerful way to control web content across all devices. With the added flexibility of a web interface and Docker setup, Pi-hole offers a robust solution to enhance your browsing experience.