---
title: Pi-Hole in Homenetwork
created_date: 2025-10-17
updated_date: 2025-10-17
aliases:
tags:
---
# Pi-Hole in Homenetwork
I followed this tutorial: [World's Greatest Pi-hole Tutorial - Easy Raspberry Pi Project! - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cE21YjuaB6o)



- Installed in goodolddell
- 192.168.1.51
- [Pi-hole goodolddell](http://192.168.1.51/admin/)
- 

## DNS Settings on Router
![[Pasted image 20251017195849.png]]

## Make Pi-hole the Network’s DHCP (so all clients use it as DNS)

> Goal: Your router can’t set custom DNS, so we’ll let **Pi-hole (192.168.1.51)** hand out IP addresses **and** advertise itself as DNS. This gives you network-wide ad-blocking without touching per-device settings.

---

### Prereqs (do these first)

1) **Give Pi-hole a fixed IP**  
   - Make a DHCP reservation on your router for the Dell/Pi-hole at **192.168.1.51** (MAC = Dell’s NIC).
   - Or set a static IP on the Pi-hole host (keep it in the router’s LAN subnet; gateway = **192.168.1.1**).

2) **Know your LAN details**  
   - Router (gateway): **192.168.1.1**  
   - Pi-hole server: **192.168.1.51**  
   - Choose a DHCP range that avoids statics, e.g. **192.168.1.100–192.168.1.200**

3) **Make sure Pi-hole web UI works**  
   - Open **http://192.168.1.51/admin**  
   - If needed: `sudo pihole -a -p` to set/change the password.

---

### Step 1 — Configure Pi-hole DNS (upstream)

In **Pi-hole → Settings → DNS**:
- Choose upstream resolvers (e.g., **Cloudflare** 1.1.1.1 / 1.0.0.1 or **Quad9**).
- (Optional) **Conditional Forwarding** to see client hostnames:
  - Local network/CIDR: `192.168.1.0/24`
  - IP of router: `192.168.1.1`
  - Local domain name: e.g. `home` (or leave blank if unsure for now).

Click **Save**.

---

### Step 2 — Enable Pi-hole’s DHCP (but don’t disable router yet)

**UI method**  
Pi-hole → **Settings → DHCP**:
- ✅ Enable DHCP server
- Range: **192.168.1.100** to **192.168.1.200**
- Router (gateway): **192.168.1.1**
- (Optional) Domain name: `home`
- Save

**CLI equivalent (optional)**  
```bash
# On the Pi-hole host:
sudo pihole -a enabledhcp 192.168.1.100 192.168.1.200 192.168.1.1
```

> At this point Pi-hole is ready to serve DHCP, but your router is still doing it too.

---
### **Step 3 — Disable DHCP on the router (Zyxel AX7501-B1)**

Router UI → **Home Networking → LAN Setup**:

- **DHCP Server State**: **Disable**
    
- Apply/Save
    
> From now on, only Pi-hole hands out leases, setting DNS to 192.168.1.51 and gateway to 192.168.1.1.

---
### **Step 4 — Renew client leases** 
Force a couple of devices to renew so they switch immediately.

- **macOS**: System Settings → Network → Wi-Fi → Details → TCP/IP → **Renew DHCP Lease** (or sudo ipconfig set en0 DHCP)
    
- **Linux**: sudo dhclient -r && sudo dhclient (or reconnect Wi-Fi)
    
- **Windows**: ipconfig /release then ipconfig /renew (run in elevated CMD)
    
- **iOS/Android**: toggle Wi-Fi off/on or “Forget” and reconnect

Verify on a client:
- IP is in 192.168.1.100–200
- Gateway is 192.168.1.1
- DNS is 192.168.1.51

---
### **Step 5 — Verify Pi-hole is the resolver**
On a client:
- nslookup example.com → **Server/Address** should show 192.168.1.51
- Or dig google.com and check the **SERVER** line 

In Pi-hole:
- **Dashboard → Query Log** should show that client’s queries.  

(Optionally visit a test page such as ads-blocker-test.com.)

---
### **Step 6 — Add static leases (optional)**

Pi-hole → **Settings → DHCP → Static DHCP leases**:

- Reserve fixed IPs for NAS, printers, servers, etc., so their IPs never change.
---
### **Day-to-day operation**

- Keep the Dell/Pi-hole **on 24/7** (it’s now your DHCP + DNS).
- For maintenance windows, either temporarily re-enable the router’s DHCP or set manual DNS on your workstation (e.g., 1.1.1.1) so you stay online while tinkering.
---
### **Undo / Rollback (if anything fails)**
1. Router: **Enable** DHCP again
    - Router → Home Networking → LAN Setup → **DHCP Server State: Enable** → Apply
2. Pi-hole: **Disable** DHCP
    - Pi-hole → Settings → DHCP → **Disable** → Save
    - CLI: sudo pihole -a disabledhcp
3. Renew leases on clients (same steps as above) so they use the router again.
4. Emergency quick-fix on your own machine: set manual DNS (e.g., 1.1.1.1 / 8.8.8.8) until the LAN is restored.
---
### **Troubleshooting quick hits**

- **Clients still show router DNS** → They kept old leases. Renew or reconnect Wi-Fi. Confirm router DHCP is disabled.
    
- **Pi-hole unreachable** → Ensure it has a reserved/static IP in the same subnet; ping 192.168.1.51.
    
- **Local hostnames don’t resolve** → Use **Conditional Forwarding**, or add **Local DNS → DNS Records** for key devices.
    
- **Resolution slow/spotty** → Try a single upstream first; keep DNSSEC off until stable; avoid binding Pi-hole to a single interface.
## Todos
- [ ] disable blocking - automation: should be easy for every user
- [ ] backup pihole settings