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The report projects that by 2026, online advertising spending will be 3.8 times greater than TV advertising.
More and more advertisers are placing ads on the internet.
How does this affect users experience surfing the internet?
According to thead-blocking reportby Global Web Index, 40% of the online population blocks ads.
What is a Pi-hole?
To understand what Pi-hole does, it is essential to know how computers communicate over the internet.
Computers communicate with each other through internet protocol(IP) addresses.
These are numbers that represent resources on the internet.
However, since computers cant understand the domain names, they must be converted to their respective IP addresses.
This is done by the Domain Name System (DNS).
The DNS can also block access to sites through DNS sinkholing.
DNS sinkholing works by configuring a DNS server with a list of domains whose access is forbidden.
When Pi-hole is configured as the DNS for a router, ads will be blocked on the entire connection.
This is unlike adblockers installed on browsers which only block ads on a single equipment.
Reasons to Setup Pi-hole
Setting up Pi-hole in a internet is very beneficial.
Aside from just ads, Pi-hole allows users to block all websites they consider unsafe for internet users.
This can be anything from adult websites to websites promoting violence.
This way, users, particularly children, are protected from harmful content.
This can be prevented using a Pi-hole which blocks online trackers from protecting users privacy.
Browsers-based ad-blockers, however, allow trackers to mine the data of users.
It also blocks coin mining networks to prevent devices from being used to minecryptocurrencywithout the users knowledge or consent.
A minimum of 2GB of free space is required, even though 4GB is recommended.
The most recent release, Ubuntu 22.04.1 LTS will be used.
A static IP address is an IP address that does not change unless you change it yourself.
DNS servers use static IP addresses so that devices know how to connect.
Once youve selected youre preferred choice, pressEnterto continue.
#11.As mentioned earlier, Pi-hole uses a community-managed block list to block ad-serving domains and malicious sites.
This is StevenBlacks Unified Hosts List that Pi-hole suggests you add it.PressYto add it.
#12.The Admin Web Interface is an easy way to manage Pi-hole.
Not installing it will not affect the functionality of Pi-hole.
#14.For Pi-hole to show you accurate statistics on activity happening on the Pi-hole DNS.
Use theUPandDOWN arrow keysto opt for level of logging you want, then pressEnterto finish the installation.
However, dont close your terminal yet.
In the top right corner, Domains on Adlist, in green, shows the number of domains.
Pi-hole will block since we added its recommended block list.
Since routers are different, the method to do this will vary.
Therefore, refer to your routers manual to find out how to do this.
Pi-hole Documentation also has a page on how to do this on different routers.
Go toPi-hole as a DNS serverto find out how to do this.
The next is to find out if Pi-hole is working on your devices.
An even simpler method is to open this sitePi-hole test site.
If you do not see ads on the page, Pi-hole is working.
However, if you see ads on the site, Pi-hole has crapped out.
Consider checking your router configuration.
Challenges in Pi-Hole Setup
Pi-hole, just like other tools, is not perfect.
Instead, you get a blank space where ads would have been placed.
This can get irritating on small-screen devices.
Since it is a online grid-level ad-blocking tool, it wont discriminate against devices on the online grid.
Worse still, there is no interface to disable blocking on some devices easily.
Thus, you have to change the DNS options on those specific devices manually.
Pi-hole is a very useful tool for anyone using the internet.
Additionally, it can protect your box from accessing malicious sites that canmalwareorransomwareinfection.
Aside from that, it can protect web connection users from accessing harmful sites.
