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1 | | -Pi-hole is a network-wide ad blocker that acts as a DNS (Domain Name System) sinkhole. It works by blocking requests to known ad servers, trackers, and malicious websites across all devices connected to your home network. Here's how it works: |
| 1 | +**Pi-hole** is a network-wide ad blocker that acts as a DNS (Domain Name System) sinkhole. It blocks connections to known ad servers, trackers, and malicious domains across all devices in your network, without requiring any browser extensions or client-side software. |
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3 | | -- DNS-Based Filtering: Pi-hole intercepts DNS requests from devices on your network. When a device tries to connect to a website, Pi-hole checks if the website's domain is on a blocklist. If it is, Pi-hole prevents the connection from being made, effectively blocking ads, trackers, and potentially harmful sites. |
| 3 | +## How Pi-hole Works |
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5 | | -- Customizable Blocklists: Pi-hole allows you to choose from a variety of community-maintained blocklists or even add your own. These blocklists contain domains known to serve ads, trackers, and other unwanted content. |
| 5 | +- **DNS-Based Filtering** |
| 6 | +Pi-hole intercepts DNS queries made by devices on your network. When a domain is requested, Pi-hole checks it against a set of blocklists. If the domain is known to serve ads or track user activity, Pi-hole blocks the request, preventing unwanted content from loading. |
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7 | | -- Device and Network-Level Protection: Once set up, Pi-hole works across your entire network. This means all devices (smartphones, tablets, computers, smart TVs, etc.) that use your Pi-hole as their DNS server automatically benefit from ad-blocking without needing individual apps or browser extensions. |
| 8 | +- **Customizable Blocklists** |
| 9 | +You can choose from various community-maintained blocklists or add your own. These lists contain domains associated with ads, trackers, malware, or other undesirable content. |
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9 | | -- Web Interface: Pi-hole offers an intuitive web interface where you can monitor statistics, review blocked domains, and tweak settings like adding custom blocklists or whitelisting certain sites. |
| 11 | +- **Whole-Network Protection** |
| 12 | +Once Pi-hole is configured as your network’s DNS server, all devices - smartphones, laptops, smart TVs, and IoT devices - are automatically protected. No additional configuration or software is required on the individual devices. |
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11 | | -- Privacy and Speed: By blocking unwanted content at the DNS level, Pi-hole not only improves browsing speed (since ads are not loaded), but also enhances privacy by preventing tracking scripts from running in the background. |
| 14 | +- **Built-in Recursive DNS with Unbound** |
| 15 | +For added privacy and full DNS resolution control, **Unbound** is installed and enabled by default during Pi-hole installation. Unbound functions as a local recursive DNS resolver, fetching responses directly from authoritative DNS servers rather than relying on upstream providers. This minimizes third-party exposure and can improve query performance. |
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13 | | -Pi-hole is typically installed on a Armbian minimal, but it can also run on other systems. It's a great way to have ad-blocking and privacy protection across your entire network without needing to install anything on individual devices. |
| 17 | +- **Web Interface** |
| 18 | +Pi-hole includes a web-based dashboard that provides real-time visibility into DNS activity. The interface allows you to view statistics, manage blocklists, whitelist domains, and configure settings with ease. |
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| 20 | +- **Privacy and Performance Benefits** |
| 21 | +By blocking unwanted domains at the DNS level, Pi-hole reduces page load times, lowers bandwidth usage, and enhances user privacy by preventing tracking scripts and ads from reaching client devices. |
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| 23 | +- **Platform Compatibility** |
| 24 | +Pi-hole can be installed on a variety of platforms. It runs well on lightweight systems such as **Armbian Minimal**, but is also available as a Docker container and supports deployment on most Linux-based environments. |
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| 26 | +Pi-hole offers an effective and centralized way to enhance privacy and reduce unwanted content across your entire network. |
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