There are a couple of downsides to pi hole, anytime a page doesn't work I'll have to turn it off and check the page again. And you only block domains so if you want to block Google analytics you can but you can't access their website without turning it off
Mmm, Pi-hole
121–130 of 421 posts
Re: Mmm, Pi-hole
#122Earlier quoted context omitted.
It’s essentially dnsmasq which can be run directly on your wireless router if you are using custom firmware. No separate hw needed, no need to horse around with dockers or containers or any of that stuff. I’d guess a lot of people are already running dnsmasq for other purposes, so adding the blocklist and periodically updating it should be trivial.
Can anyone recommend a "2018 good choice" for a consumer router that can run custom firmware (including dnsmasq), or a trustworthy recommendation website? Wirecutter for example doesn't note third party firmware: https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-wi-fi-router/
Netgear R7800 and any other router with the same Qualcomm chipset work great with OpenWRT.
Take care that the router has a boot mode which allows you to overwrite the firmware via TFTP. That comes in handy in case of trouble with a particular firmware version (e.g., router stuck in a boot loop).
Re: Mmm, Pi-hole
#123I don't use a browser extension, I use Firefox's built-in tracking protection. It is only enabled by default in private browsing mode, but it's easy to enable it for all your browsing. See https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/tracking-protection I get 126 requests and 2.3 MB transferred on Daily Mail Australia, which seems comparable or better than what Troy saw with Pi-hole. See https://postimg.cc/3WYwZf3b (Disclosu…
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Re: Mmm, Pi-hole
#124Someone on here recently recommended uMatrix for this purpose and I find that a nice trade-off between usability and request blocking. It's an extension but given it's less opaque than a generic ad-blocker I feel more in control and that it's less likely to go 'rogue' like adblockers do.
I also love uMatrix. Unfortunately its not an option on mobile. You could theoretically install it in Firefox mobile for Android, but it would be so difficult to use. I also use a Pi-Hole. I see my Pi-Hole as the solution for mobile browsing and apps, where uMatrix is the better option for desktop browsing since it can differentiate between image requests vs. scripts, iFrames, cookies, etc
It isn't any harder to use than on the desktop!
Instead of clicking on the uMatrix icon, you click on three dots and then on uMatrix
Rather than bringing up a small window, with all your settings, it brings up a new tab with your settings.
Other than that it is the same! And it will work when you are away from home without needing a VPN to a Pi-Hole.
Re: Mmm, Pi-hole
#125I've got mine running at Digital Ocean. Been using for four months. No downside.
Re: Mmm, Pi-hole
#126I'm surprised this is the top slot right now. Troy, generally, puts out interesting info on security related news however this feels a bit minimal. Since the project has been around a number of years now, and it's not relegated to only a RPi I would have expected him to delve into things a bit more. Pi-hole will also break things. I think the common one I always heard from users on my network at home were that Google…
It’s essentially dnsmasq which can be run directly on your wireless router if you are using custom firmware. No separate hw needed, no need to horse around with dockers or containers or any of that stuff. I’d guess a lot of people are already running dnsmasq for other purposes, so adding the blocklist and periodically updating it should be trivial.
Assuming I'm only interested in blocking ads in one computer, is there a software solution for this on Linux or Windows? (I know that Mac has Little Snitch).
Re: Mmm, Pi-hole
#127I'm surprised this is the top slot right now. Troy, generally, puts out interesting info on security related news however this feels a bit minimal. Since the project has been around a number of years now, and it's not relegated to only a RPi I would have expected him to delve into things a bit more. Pi-hole will also break things. I think the common one I always heard from users on my network at home were that Google…
Troy's skill is taking security and privacy topics and translating them with practical tips to an IT enthusiast audience that is much broader than hn
Look at his comments and replies to gauge the audience for his content - deploying more privacy and security tools and knowledge can only be a good thing
Re: Mmm, Pi-hole
#128Earlier quoted context omitted.
In this case it just acts as a DNS resolver. That's potentially risky when resources don't use SSL, but far less than a browser extension that can change a page in place, inject JavaScript, and record keystrokes on all pages.
> resources don't use SSL Huh? DNS is hit even if the site is SSL. Unless the site has HSTS, and you've got to the site before; DNS poisoning is very much doable.
Yes, but the hijacker will still need to present a valid cert for that domain, which is much harder.
Re: Mmm, Pi-hole
#129I tried pi-hole but my family couldn't make it work. Pihole blocks a lot of content they want to see, for example, email newsletters from our city gov. I understand why (privacy/tracking concerns) but it was just blocking too much and frustrating non-technical users in my house.
Re: Mmm, Pi-hole
#130Earlier quoted context omitted.
That doesn't work the same as pihole. PiHole blocks ads on ALL devices on your network. Your computer, your laptop, your phone, your kids kindle, etc. As long as they are on your network, they are protected (and browsing web pages on an older phone, things are much faster)
Yup, that's a downside. The advantage is that it's much simpler and will also work when you're not on your home network.
How do I edit the hosts file on my iPhone?