Labthrift Labthrift What to buy. What to skip. Why.

Getting started · 6 of 9

Written 23 Aug 2026. This is a how-to, not a product card.

The first useful thing

Put a house-wide ad block on the old PC. The rest of the house keeps using the internet as usual. You don't need a Raspberry Pi.

You already have a computer that stays on. SSH from the couch works. The next job is one useful thing for the house, not a new gadget.

What this is

A program called Pi-hole. It answers name lookups for the house and skips the ones that are ads. Phones and laptops don't need an extra app. You point the house at this box once.

DNS is the phone book that turns names into numbers. When a laptop asks for a site, something has to look up the number. Pi-hole is one free program that sits in that phone book and skips ad names. Real sites still go through. A lot of ads never load.

You don't buy a Raspberry Pi. The OptiPlex or old laptop is already a computer that stays on. Pi-hole is just software on it. The name sounds like a tiny board. Ignore that. You already did the hardware part.

Install it on the computer

This assumes Debian or Ubuntu Server, the OS from what OS to put on it, installed as in your first weekend. SSH in from the couch.

The house has to find this computer later, so give it a static-ish address. A DHCP reservation is the easy way: tell the router to always give it the same number. Use the address you found on the first weekend. If you skip this, it might get a new number after a reboot, and the house will look in the wrong place.

The official path is one command from pi-hole.net. Walk through the prompts. Take the defaults. Use the URL on their site, not a copy from a forum. The basic install docs are the page to follow.

On the computer, run:

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

If it asks for sudo, that is normal. Note the admin password it prints. You will need it in a minute.

Open the page it prints

The installer prints a web address. Open it on your normal computer. Usually http://pi.hole/admin, or that computer's address plus /admin. You will see a dashboard. That is enough for tonight. Don't start hunting extra block lists.

Point the house at it

On the router, set DNS to this computer's address so every phone and laptop asks it for names. Full steps: point the house at the ad block. Brand menus: point common home routers at Pi-hole. If ufw is already on for this computer, allow DNS there too: turn on a simple firewall without locking yourself out.

What next

Leave it a week. First, change the printed admin password. Then see what Pi-hole blocked so you know it is working. If the admin opens but totals stay at zero, see when Pi-hole shows no queries. Then maybe a file share on this same computer. If it is still on house Wi-Fi, put it on a cable first: a cable beats Wi-Fi for the computer. Once a week, keep Pi-hole updated (apt alone does not). Before a reinstall or a big list change, save a Pi-hole backup. Tired of typing the number? Add a local name in Pi-hole. Phones still show ads right after you set router DNS? Flush old DNS on phones and laptops. If ads come back later, start with when ads come back. If only one phone stays dirty, see when one phone still shows ads. Guest SSID still shows ads? See when guest Wi-Fi still shows ads. Need a five-minute off switch? Pause Pi-hole for a few minutes. If one site you need is broken while ads stay gone, see when a site won't load after Pi-hole. Want to deny a domain on purpose? Block a site in Pi-hole on purpose. If the dashboard itself won't load, see when the Pi-hole admin page won't open. Waiting is fine. Not Kubernetes. Not a new mini PC.

Optional: track the first service you leave on in Lab plan — username + passkey, no email. Skip if you just want to keep reading.

Skip

Sources

Pi-hole. Pi-hole basic install. Official pages only. For the install, see your first weekend. For the OS choice, see what OS to put on it.

Also on this topic

Keep Pi-hole updatedWeekly apt does not refresh Pi-hole. Update the software and the block lists on the old PC so ads stay gone. You don't need a new Raspberry Pi. See what Pi-hole blockedOpen the query log (or watch it over SSH) so you can tell ads are dying, which device asked, and which name to allow later. You don't need a new router. When Pi-hole shows no queriesAdmin opens, totals stay at zero, query log empty. Prove the house asks the computer for DNS, then check Pi-hole status. You don't need a new Raspberry Pi. Block a site in Pi-hole on purposeOne domain you don't want in the house. Add it to the deny list. You don't wipe every block list or buy a new router. Save a Pi-hole backup before you change thingsExport settings with Teleporter so a reinstall or a bad list does not wipe your allow list and local DNS. You don't need a new Raspberry Pi. Put a Pi-hole backup back with TeleporterAfter a reinstall or a bad list, import the Teleporter zip so allow lists, deny entries, and local DNS names return. Fresh Pi-hole first. You don't need a new Raspberry Pi. Add a local name in Pi-holeGive the old PC a short house name so phones and laptops can open SSH, the share, and the admin page without remembering the number. You don't need a new router. Pause Pi-hole for a few minutesTurn blocking off for five minutes to test a broken site or a dinner guest. It turns itself back on. You don't wipe the lists or change the router. When a site won't load after Pi-holeA bank, streamer, or login page breaks after Pi-hole. Pause blocking for five minutes, then allow the domain you need. You don't need a new router. When the Pi-hole admin page won't openhttp://pi.hole/admin or the computer's address plus /admin won't load. Check house Wi-Fi, the address, then Pi-hole and the web service. You don't need a new router. Point common home routers at Pi-holeWhere to set DNS on TP-Link, ASUS, eero, Netgear, Nest, and ISP gateways so the house asks Pi-hole. Prefer LAN DHCP DNS. You don't need a new router. Flush old DNS on phones and laptopsAfter you point the router at Pi-hole, phones and laptops may still use the old DNS. Renew the Wi-Fi lease or flush the cache so ads drop. You don't need a new router. When ads come backAds are back, sites won't load, or a phone still shows banners. Check the computer, Pi-hole, router DNS, then the phone. When one phone still shows adsEveryone else's ads dropped. One phone still shows banners. Check Private DNS, Private Relay, a VPN, then the Wi-Fi lease. You don't need a new router. When guest Wi-Fi still shows adsGuest Wi-Fi is a separate network on purpose. Leave guests on ISP DNS, put a visitor on the main house Wi-Fi, or point guest DNS at Pi-hole only if they can reach the computer. You don't need a new router. Your first weekendInstall the OS, name it, and reach it from the couch. What OS to put on itDebian or Ubuntu Server if you can dedicate the old PC. Leave Windows if you still use the laptop as a laptop. Start with what you already haveDon't buy anything yet. Old laptop first, or a retired OptiPlex from Marketplace.