I want to block ads and trackers on the whole home network. I’ve been using adblockers and trackers for years now; I currently have a Raspberry Pi. I was thinking of setting up Pi-Hole with AdGuard. Any other suggestions are welcome. (I can’t use a custom router, because my ISP doesn’t allow it)
Pi-hole works great for me, but everyone else on the network that uses Google hates it because the entire first page is ads and they can’t click on them.
Yeah, PiHole is great if you live by yourself otherwise the entire household will have it out for you.
Learned that lesson the hard way.
Dunno, I found it pretty easy to set up different rules for different devices.
Yes! PiHole does offer whitelisting profiles for devices however, Apple/IOS devices with their “Private Wi-Fi addresses” make it pain given how the Mac Addresses regularly rotate.
Oh wow - did not know that!
Bit of a weird choice, given that routers usually allow limiting connections to specific MAC addresses as a security feature. Everything’s a trade-off, I guess…
Only Apple the filtering to your MAC addresses.
For a mobile device / TV, sure.
For a browser on a computer, uBlock or AdNauseum will fix that.
I install some local adblocker to their devices and they don’t see those ads
I second your idea of going with Pi-Hole. It is purpose-made for this and easy to setup.
Plugging my favorite block lists:
- general browsing https://firebog.net/
- For TV’s https://github.com/hkamran80/blocklists
- For Phones https://github.com/craiu/mobiletrackers
If you want cheap and easy, something like NextDNS. Otherwise, your tentative plan works just as well. My family liked NextDNS because all I had to do was have them install an app, enter my code (for the profile I configure for them), and set it to on. The rest was magic, to them.
I use Adguard’s public DNS on my router for convenience, no problems at all. In the past I had pi-hole with some lists that in the end, from time to time, broke things.
Light + TIF https://sky.rethinkdns.com/1:AAkACAQA Normal + TIF https://sky.rethinkdns.com/1:AAkACAgA Pro + TIF https://sky.rethinkdns.com/1:AAoACBAA Pro plus + TIF https://sky.rethinkdns.com/1:AAoACAgA Ultimate + TIF https://sky.rethinkdns.com/1:gAgACABA Light + TIF https://dns.dnswarden.com/00000000000000000000048 Normal + TIF https://dns.dnswarden.com/00000000000000000000028 Pro + TIF https://dns.dnswarden.com/00000000000000000000018 Pro plus + TIF https://dns.dnswarden.com/0000000000000000000000o Ultimate + TIF https://dns.dnswarden.com/0000000000000000000000804 Light https://freedns.controld.com/x-hagezi-light Normal https://freedns.controld.com/x-hagezi-normal Pro https://freedns.controld.com/x-hagezi-pro Pro plus https://freedns.controld.com/x-hagezi-proplus Ultimate https://freedns.controld.com/x-hagezi-ultimate TIF https://freedns.controld.com/x-hagezi-tifDNS based adblocking with Hegezi blocklist and TIF (threat intelligence feeds). Works with any device on your network in one way or another (QUIC, DoH/3, DoT, etc) and doesn’t require installing anything. Just changing dns settings.
This is a great list. Blocks about 95% of all advertisements. About 4% are unblockable due to one reason or another, and the remaining 1% get added very quickly. I highly recommend this solution. Sure, you can setup a PiHole and do it all yourself, but in the end that requires time and attention. It’s the same list, but if you roll PiHole yourself you don’t get access to TIF, which are amazing for protecting you from different kinds of threats.
PfSense with PFblockerNG or Pihole
Stay away from pfSense; use OPNSense.
https://www.reddit.com/r/selfhosted/comments/17i1dns/pfsense_just_messed_with_their_userbase_again/
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13615896
https://forums.servethehome.com/index.php?threads/more-shady-stuff-from-pfsense.41951/
https://opnsense.org/opnsense-com/
Edit: Salty bitches in this thread
I use PfSense and it’s great
Put their router into modem mode and daisy chain your own router. Look up its labels and find the original manufacture for manuals. Watch out for name changes and mergers. ISPs do not manufacture routers. They buy them from companies, change a few logos and lend them to you.
You can also use the DMZ setting for your router depending on the software on the device from your ISP. DMZ means all traffic is forwarded that hits the device.
I use Ad-Guard instead of Pihole because the pi-hole software used to be missing some of the DNS features I wanted at the time, and I just stuck with it ever since. I have the main DNS server running on my Unraid Box, and a backup that runs on my HomeAssistant Pi4B.
Either Pi-Hole or there is also AdGuard Home
From what I’ve heard their as good as each other it just comes down on what UI you prefer^^
We have an Odroid with AdGuard that’s worked great for many years. We used to use Pihole but had niggles that Meany AdGuard was easier. For us we wanted a completely free solution that we had complete control over.
NextDNS or many other DoH services that are out there (I personally recommend Mullvad).
