Pi-hole — DNS-Level Ad & Tracker Blocking for Your Network

How it works

DNS sinkhole: when a device asks for a known ad/tracker domain, Pi-hole returns 0.0.0.0 instead of the real IP.
Centralized control: one dashboard for blocklists, allowlists, stats.
Applies to everything: any device that uses your Pi-hole as DNS benefits automatically.

Install (Raspberry Pi or Linux box)

Run the official installer:

curl -sSL https://install.pi-hole.net | bash

Set a static LAN IP for the machine first. After install, the web UI is usually at http://pi.hole/admin or http://<your-pi-ip>/admin.

Point devices at it

Best: set your router’s LAN DNS to your Pi-hole’s IP (affects all clients).
Or per device: set DNS manually on a computer/phone to your Pi-hole IP.

Recommended settings

Keep the default blocklists; add one good consolidated list (e.g., OISD) if you want more coverage.
Enable Query Logging: Anonymous if you don’t want per-client logs.
(Optional) Run a local upstream resolver like Unbound and point Pi-hole at 127.0.0.1#5335 for privacy.
Use the Group Management → Domains to allowlist anything that breaks (rare).

Verify it’s working

Visit the Pi-hole dashboard → confirm queries and “blocked” counters change as you browse.
On a client device, run nslookup doubleclick.net and confirm it resolves to 0.0.0.0.

Get Pi-hole

Disclosure: not affiliated.