How to Get Pi-hole Going on TV and All Devices
Are you tired of intrusive ads ruining your TV and browsing experience? Well, by setting up Pi-hole on your TV and other devices, you can say goodbye to annoying advertisements popping up everywhere. Pi-hole is a network-wide ad blocker that works as a DNS sinkhole, making ads vanish before they even reach your devices. Below, we will guide you through the process of getting Pi-hole up and running on your TV and all connected devices.
What You Will Need
- A Raspberry Pi (preferably the latest model) - You can purchase one from various online retailers.
- A microSD card (8GB or higher recommended) – This will be used to install the necessary software for Pi-hole.
- A power supply for your Raspberry Pi.
- An Ethernet cable to connect your Raspberry Pi to your home network.
- A TV with HDMI input (if you want to enable Pi-hole for your smart TV).
- Additional devices (e.g., smartphones, tablets, laptops) connected to the same network as your TV.
Setting Up Pi-hole
Step 1: Install the latest Raspberry Pi OS on your microSD card by following official documentation provided by Raspberry Pi Foundation.
Step 2: Connect your Raspberry Pi to your TV using the HDMI cable and power it up.
Step 3: Navigate to the Raspberry Pi Configuration menu and enable SSH to allow remote access.
Step 4: Using a separate device (e.g., computer or smartphone), open a terminal or command prompt and establish an SSH connection to your Raspberry Pi using its local IP address and default credentials.
$ ssh pi@your_raspberry_pi_ip_address
Step 5: Once connected, update your Raspberry Pi to the latest packages by executing the following commands:
$ sudo apt update
$ sudo apt upgrade
Step 6: Install Pi-hole by running the installation command:
$ curl -sSL https://install.pi-hole.net | bash
Note: Follow the instructions provided during the installation process to set up Pi-hole according to your preferences.
Step 7: After the installation is complete, configure your devices to use the Pi-hole DNS. To do this:
- On your smart TV, navigate to network settings and change the DNS server address to your Raspberry Pi’s IP address.
- On other devices connected to the same network, locate the network settings and update the DNS server address to your Raspberry Pi’s IP.
That’s it! You’ve successfully set up Pi-hole on your TV and all connected devices. From now on, Pi-hole will block advertisements network-wide.
Important Note: While Pi-hole is very effective in blocking ads, it is always advisable to support content creators by whitelisting legitimate websites and services that rely on ads for revenue.
Enjoy an ad-free TV and browsing experience with Pi-hole!