Here’s the Dead-Simple Pi-hole Setup That 99 % of People Use in 2025 (Works Perfectly with Starlink Bypass)

• Total time: 45–90 minutes if you’re slow.
• Total cost for a fresh build: $80–140 (Raspberry Pi 5 4GB $80 + case $10 + good SD card $15 + power supply $10–15). You can go cheaper with a used Pi 4 ($50–70 total).

Hardware You Actually Need

• Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 (Pi 5 is snappier and worth the extra $20 in 2025). Even a Pi Zero 2 W works if you’re patient.
• MicroSD card 32 GB+ (Samsung EVO or SanDisk Max Endurance are bulletproof).
• Power supply (official or any good 5V/3A+ USB-C for Pi 5).
• Case optional but recommended (the official one or a cheap metal heatsink case for $10–20).
• Ethernet cable (Wi-Fi works but Ethernet is more reliable).

Pro move in 2025: A lot of us just run Pi-hole in Docker on whatever always-on device we already have (NAS, mini PC, even the same Ubiquiti Dream Machine that’s replacing the Starlink router). Zero extra hardware. But a dedicated Pi is still the classic and most foolproof.

Step 1: Flash the OS (10 minutes)

• Download Raspberry Pi Imager from raspberrypi.com/software/
• Best 2025 choice: DietPi (dietpi.com) – it’s lighter and faster than Raspberry Pi OS, and the Pi-hole install is literally one click in their software menu.
• OR just use Raspberry Pi OS Lite (64-bit) if you want the official way.
• Insert SD card into your computer → open Imager → choose OS → choose your SD card → Write. 
• When it finishes, re-insert the card, open the boot partition, create an empty file named ssh (no extension) to enable SSH. Also add a file called wpa_supplicant.conf if you want Wi-Fi (Google the format, it’s easy).

Step 2: Boot It Up and Install Pi-hole (15 minutes)

• Plug Ethernet (or set up Wi-Fi) and power it on.
• Find its IP: look in your router’s device list (or Starlink app if not bypassed yet).
• SSH in: ssh pi@<ip address> (default password raspberry – change it immediately with passwd command).
• Update everything:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

• Install Pi-hole – literally one command (still the same in 2025):

curl -sSL https://install.pi-hole.net | bash

• The installer is interactive and idiot-proof:Choose upstream DNS: Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) is fastest, Quad9 (9.9.9.9) blocks malware better, or NextDNS if you want custom profiles.
• Enable the web interface (yes).
• Log the queries (yes, for stats).
• Privacy level: 0 or 1 is fine.
• It will give you a random web admin password at the end – write it down.

If you used DietPi, just run dietpi-software → search Pi-hole → install → done. Even easier.

Step 3: Make It Network-Wide (The Important Part for Starlink Users)

You’ve bypassed the Starlink router, right? Good. You’re using your own router/mesh (Eero, TP-Link Deco, Google Nest, Ubiquiti, whatever).

Two ways – pick one:

Option A – Easiest (works on 95 % of routers in 2025): In your router settings → DHCP or LAN settings → set custom DNS server to the Pi-hole’s IP address (only primary, leave secondary blank or same IP).

Examples:

• Eero app → Settings → Network Settings → DNS → Custom → put Pi-hole IP
• Google Nest → Wi-Fi → Advanced → Custom DNS
• TP-Link Deco app → More → Advanced → DHCP Server → DNS
• Ubiquiti → Network → LAN → DHCP Name Server → Manual → Pi-hole IP

Boom. Every device on your network now uses Pi-hole automatically. No touching individual devices.

Option B – If your router is dumb and won’t let you set custom DNS: In Pi-hole web interface → Settings → DHCP → Enable Pi-hole’s DHCP server.

Then go to your router and turn OFF its DHCP server.

Pi-hole now hands out IPs and forces itself as DNS. Works perfectly.

Reserve the Pi-hole’s IP in your router so it never changes (MAC address is in the Pi-hole dashboard).

Step 4: Make It Actually Good (10 minutes)

Open http://pi.hole/admin or http://<pi-hole-ip/admin

• Change password: Settings → System → Change Admin Password
• Update blocklists: Long-term Lists → Update Gravity (do this weekly or enable auto-update)
• Add extra blocklists (most popular 2025 combo):Firebog ticked lists (the “big list” ones) – just click the links people share on r/pihole)
• OISD big list
• 1Hosts Pro People routinely run 3–8 million domains blocked with zero slowdown on a Pi 5.
• Local DNS → DNS Records: add entries like 192.168.1.50 nas.local so you can type names instead of IPs.

Bonus 2025 Upgrades Everyone Does Now

• Pair it with Unbound (recursive DNS) for max privacy – no sending queries to Cloudflare/Google at all. Takes 5 extra minutes (tons of guides, Crosstalk Solutions one is still the gold).
• Run two Pi-holes for redundancy (second one on an old Pi or Docker) – set primary and secondary DNS in router.
• Use NextDNS or AdGuard DNS as upstream for per-device profiles (e.g., strict for kids).
• Enable Unbound + DoH/DoT if you’re paranoid.

That’s literally it.

Reboot your router once after changing DNS and watch the Pi-hole dashboard fill up with blocked queries. You’ll see 25–40 % of your traffic just vanish within hours. YouTube ads on smart TVs? Gone. Spotify ads on phones? Gone. Random tracking bullshit? Gone.

Once it’s running you forget it exists except when you visit someone else’s house and remember how awful the normal internet is.

Do this and your Starlink will feel even faster because you’re not downloading gigabytes of ads every month.

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