A browser extension protects the browser it is installed in. Your television, thermostat, doorbell, and speaker cannot run one, and they connect to the internet constantly.
Pi-hole takes a different position. It is free, open-source software that acts as the DNS server for your network — the service every device asks when it needs to turn a name like ads.example.com into an address. Pi-hole checks that name against blocklists, and when it matches, the answer never comes back. The device never makes the connection.
Why DNS is the leverage point
Every device on the network uses DNS, including the ones with no settings screen and no way to install anything. Filtering there covers all of them at once, without touching each device.
It also means blocking happens before the connection, not after the page loads.
What it runs on
Pi-hole runs on a Raspberry Pi. Current Micro Center prices for boards that can run it:
Raspberry Pi 4 Model B, 1GB — $34.99. Gigabit Ethernet, and more than enough for Pi-hole.
Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ — $39.99. Has Ethernet, but slower and costlier than the Pi 4 above.
Raspberry Pi 5, 1GB — $42.99. Newer, and more machine than this job needs.
Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+ — $19.99. The cheapest board, but it has no Ethernet port.
Pi-hole is answering every DNS query in the house, so a wired connection matters. Add roughly $25 to $35 for a microSD card, power supply, and case. The Pico boards Micro Center sells for a few dollars are microcontrollers and cannot run Pi-hole.
What it does not cover
Pi-hole blocks at the DNS level and does nothing else. It is not a firewall, it does not inspect traffic, and it has no intrusion detection or network segmentation. It does not include a VPN unless you set one up separately.
It does not stop first-party tracking by the sites you visit, since those names are the ones you asked for. Apps using hardcoded DNS or DNS-over-HTTPS can bypass it. It requires control of your network, and the setup is yours to do and maintain.
Up next · Friday
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