I'm sure like many of you, I absolutely fucking hate ads. I really do, and I block them in any way I can. I've always recommended UBlock and UBlock Origin to people when they ask about ad blockers, but I've come across a really interesting project which seeks to address the problem of advertisements completely. Introducing Pi-Hole, the Raspberry Pi powered network-wide ad blocker.
Your traditional ad blocker only usually works in a browser, but Pi-hole can also block ads on any device connected to your network including your mobile devices, or Smart TVs/dongles. It was designed to work with a Raspberry Pi, a small credit-card sized all-in-one computer, but will also work on many other Linux distributions and machines as well. It's lightweight enough to run great on a Raspberry Pi Zero W or even on one of the older models.
Installing it is easy if you're already familiar with Linux, it's just a case of running the following command in a terminal:
curl -sSL https://install.pi-hole.net | bash
...and you're good to go! There is also a lovely looking web interface, based upon AdminLTE. Plug the Pi (or your device of choice) into your router, and then there's a bit of tinkering with DNS servers to be done, but you can find the instructions for that over on GitHub.
This probably isn't a project for a first timer, but if anyone is interested, I'd love to do a makers series using Raspberry Pis and other small computing modules. There is just so much you can do with these little machines. I've already built a motion-activated security camera for the front of the house, media server, media renderer and now with network-wide ad blocking capabilities I feel like there's no stopping these pocket-sized computers.
You can also pair your new Pi-Hole with a VPN, and get ad blocking capabilities on the go for your mobile device. I'm yet to set mine up yet, but I've dug out an old Model B and plan to get it all hooked up this evening. Coupled with my Asus DSL-AC88U router, I'm quite happy with my little home setup now.
I hope you found this useful and/or interesting, and if you did don't forget to give this an upvote as your support is what drives this content. As always, make sure to tap that Follow button if you haven't already to stay up-to-date on all the latest Technology, Internet and Pop Cultures updates. If you need any help setting up Pi-Hole, get at me in the comments or come and join me over on Discord. Until next time guys, take it easy!
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Block ads at home using Pi-Hole and a Raspberry Pi (https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/pi-hole-raspberry-pi/)