Pi-hole Network Ad Blocker

The Problem

Ads are everywhere. YouTube pre-rolls, banner ads, pop-ups, redirects, tracking pixels — the modern internet is a minefield of attention theft.

Browser extensions help, but they only work on devices where you install them. Your phone? Your smart TV? Your guests’ devices? They’re on their own.

What if you could block ads at the network level? Every device, every connection, zero configuration on the client side.

What We’re Building

A Pi-hole — a network-wide ad blocker that acts as your DNS server. It looks up domain names and blocks anything on its blacklists. Ads, trackers, malware domains — all stopped before they even load.

Features

• Network-wide blocking — Every device on your network
• Zero client config — Set it once, done
• Detailed statistics — See what’s being blocked
• Low power — Runs on a Pi Zero W
• Fast — DNS caching speeds up lookups

The Hardware

Components

Component	Model	Price (Approx)
Computer	Raspberry Pi Zero W	$10
Case	Basic plastic case	$5
Power	Micro USB cable	$5
Storage	8GB microSD	$5

Total: ~$25

Yes, really. Twenty-five dollars for network-wide ad blocking. The Pi Zero W has built-in WiFi, so no extra adapters needed.

Why Pi Zero?

You don’t need much for a DNS server:

• Pi Zero W: Single core, 512MB RAM — overkill for DNS
• Pi 3 or 4: Total waste of horsepower
• Any Linux box: Sure, but the Pi is purpose-built

The Zero’s size is perfect. It’s tiny, draws barely any power, and can hide anywhere in your network closet.

The Setup

Step 1: Install Raspberry Pi OS

Flash Raspberry Pi OS Lite (no desktop needed) to your microSD card. Use the Raspberry Pi Imager — it’s foolproof.

Enable SSH and configure WiFi by adding files to the boot partition:

• Empty file named ssh
• File named wpa_supplicant.conf with your WiFi credentials

Step 2: Install Pi-hole

One command:

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

The installer walks you through:

1. Select an upstream DNS provider (I use Cloudflare)
2. Choose blocklists (default lists are excellent)
3. Enable the web interface (yes, do this)
4. Set an admin password

Step 3: Configure Your Router

This is the magic step. Set your Pi-hole as the DNS server for your network:

Option A: Router DNS Set the Pi’s IP as the primary DNS in your router’s DHCP settings. Every device gets it automatically.

Option B: Device DNS Configure each device manually. More work, but useful for testing.

I recommend Option A. Set it once, forget it forever.

Step 4: Verify

Visit http://pi.hole/admin from any device on your network. You should see the dashboard.

Test ad blocking: visit a site with ads. Watch the query log show blocked domains.

Performance

The Pi Zero handles DNS queries instantly:

Metric	Result
Query latency	≈1ms (local cache)
Block rate	~25% of queries
Memory usage	~50MB
CPU usage	~5%
Power draw	~1W

Blocking 25% of DNS queries means 25% of network traffic is ads and trackers. That’s bandwidth saved, pages loaded faster, and sanity preserved.

Blocklists

Pi-hole comes with default lists, but you can add more:

List	What it Blocks
Steven Black’s Hosts	Ads + malware
Firebog Lists	Comprehensive ad/tracker lists
OISD	Ads, trackers, malware
Energized Protection	Everything including adult content

Be careful with aggressive lists — they can break sites. Start with defaults, add slowly, test thoroughly.

Advanced Features

Per-Client Blocking

Don’t want to block ads on your work laptop? Pi-hole can disable blocking for specific devices. Useful for:

• Devices that break with ad blocking
• Testing websites
• Family members who prefer ads (weird, but they exist)

Local DNS Records

Pi-hole can act as a local DNS server for your network:

• nas.local → 192.168.1.100
• plex.local → 192.168.1.101
• etc.

No more memorizing IP addresses.

DHCP Server

Pi-hole can replace your router’s DHCP server. This enables:

• Per-client DNS control
• Better hostname resolution
• Easier management

I stick with my router’s DHCP, but the option exists.

Dashboard

The web interface shows:

• Queries over time
• Top blocked domains
• Top clients
• Query types

Great for satisfying “how many ads did I block today?” curiosity.

Lessons Learned

Troubleshooting

Ads still appearing?

1. Clear your browser cache
2. Some apps hardcode DNS (bypass Pi-hole)
3. Check if Pi-hole is actually being used (visit pi.hole/admin)

Sites broken?

1. Check the query log for blocked domains
2. Whitelist the domain causing issues
3. Temporary disable blocking for testing

Pi locked up?

The Pi Zero is reliable but can freeze if the SD card corrupts. Use a quality card and consider a UPS for clean shutdowns.

Conclusion

For $25 and 30 minutes of setup, you get:

• Network-wide ad blocking
• Detailed statistics
• Faster browsing (less garbage to load)
• Privacy (fewer trackers)

The Pi-hole runs 24/7, uses almost no power, and silently protects every device on your network. It’s one of those “set it and forget it” projects that pays dividends every single day.

If you’re not running a Pi-hole, you’re leaving ads, trackers, and bandwidth on the table.

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Questions? Hit me up on the contact page. I’m always happy to help with Pi-hole setups.