What is Pi-hole?

Pi-hole is a network-wide ad blocker that acts as a local DNS server. Instead of installing ad blockers on every device, you install Pi-hole once — and it filters everything.

Requirements

• Raspberry Pi 5 with Raspberry Pi OS installed
• Static IP address (recommended)
• Terminal or SSH access
• Router access (to change DNS settings)

Step 1: Update the system

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 2: Set a static IP address (recommended)

Edit your DHCP configuration (if not already static):

sudo nano /etc/dhcpcd.conf

Uncomment and configure lines like this:

interface eth0 static ip_address=192.168.1.100/24 static routers=192.168.1.1 static domain_name_servers=127.0.0.1

Then reboot:

sudo reboot

Step 3: Install Pi-hole (Official method)

Run the automated install script:

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

Follow the setup steps:

• Choose your network interface (usually eth0)
• Choose an upstream DNS provider (like Cloudflare or Google)
• Leave the default blocklists selected
• Enable the web admin interface
• Select “Yes” for logging and privacy

Step 4: Access the web interface

After installation, open a browser and visit:

http://<YOUR_PI_IP>/admin

Log in using the password shown at the end of installation.

If you forgot it, reset with:

pihole -a -p

Step 5: Configure your router

Log into your router and set your Pi-hole’s IP as the primary DNS server for your network (e.g. 192.168.1.100).
This will send all DNS queries through your Pi-hole.

Optional: disable IPv6 DNS if your router doesn’t support filtering it.

Step 6: Use it

That's it — Pi-hole is now protecting your entire network from ads and trackers.

You can:

• Monitor queries in real time via the web interface
• Whitelist or blacklist domains
• Add extra blocklists

Useful commands

• Update Pi-hole:

  pihole -up

• Restart service:

  pihole restartdns

• View top blocked domains:

  pihole top