DNS Monitoring at Home with Pi-Hole

I recently deployed Pi-hole in my Dev network to get more insight over my DNS activity. Previously, I was testing OpenDNS to review logs, blacklist a number of ad websites, and use their Web Content Filtering. OpenDNS has been working great for me, however I really wanted to bring DNS locally and be able to block ads & trackers based on lists already maintained by known 3rd parties while at the same time have greater insight into the activity for each device at home.

High level overview

• Network-wide protection: Instead of browser plugins or other software on each computer, install Pi-hole in one place and your entire network is protected.
• Block in-app advertisements: Network-level blocking allows you to block ads in non-traditional places such as mobile apps and smart TVs, regardless of hardware or OS.
• Improve network performance: Since advertisements are blocked before they are downloaded, network performance is improved and will feel faster.
• Monitor statistics: Our Web interface offers control of your Pi-hole and a central place to view statistics. We also include an API for extending these stats.

Installation

The installation is quick and easy and they even have a Docker image available. In total, it took me around 2-3 minutes as I was reading everything.

Discovery

Some smart devices were moved to my Dev network to test and review their DNS activity. There's no question "smart" devices are talkative, but one doesn't really realize how much they talk back home until you can track and analysis all the activity.

The device outlined below is a smart TV during the time it was on. This of course is after I had already "harden" the TV based on all the available settings. During the course of the two hours that it was on, it attempted to communicate out over 1,900 times (note, some of this communication is expected especially when utilizing a streaming service e.g. Netflix, Hulu, etc.). Out of the 1,900 attempts, Pi-hole blocked 1,300 of those as they were deemed for logging purposes.

Experience

I've had the Pi-hole running since November 2018 and has now been moved into my production network.