Setting Up PiHole on a PC
Setting Up PiHole on a PC
I watched Linus' PiHole ad-blocker video. Since I own some Dell Optiplexes, I’m curious about setting it up. I mainly don’t want YouTube ads blocked, but I’d also like to stop mobile ads. Whenever I play games with lots of ads, I rely on an Internet Blocker app; it shows as a VPN in my notification bar, which is frustrating because I prefer a clean setup. I also want to block certain websites, but they should redirect to a custom page—like a maintenance site or a local HTML file. With a spare Optiplex, I’m wondering: can this be done? How would I do it? I’m not worried about loading Linux, though I’m not very comfortable with it, and I have plenty of Windows 10 keys. Thanks!
I have no background in networking beyond connecting Ethernet cables.
Bind9 functions as a DNS server application. PFsense operates as a router operating system.
I haven’t found another router matching the one provided by my ISP. I’m unsure it will function properly. Still, I understand I can switch the default DNS on PiHole.
Choose PiHole if you need it, but if you're looking for an alternative method to achieve the same result without using PiHole, I provided that solution.
Set up Linux on the device and execute the installation command. Follow the instructions provided.