Pi-hole is usually introduced as an ad blocker. In my network it is more useful to think of it as a local DNS service with a filtering feature attached.
Names are part of the network
Once local services, Home Assistant, containers, and remote access all have names, DNS becomes part of the operating system of the home. If resolution is inconsistent, the symptoms show up everywhere: dashboards fail, certificates appear wrong, and a service looks offline when its address is the real problem.
Filtering is the visible feature
The query log is useful for understanding what devices are doing, but the operational value is having one place to inspect and control name resolution. A local resolver also gives the network a stable dependency instead of sending every request to a different upstream service.
Failure planning
DNS is a dependency, so it needs a failure plan. I want a backup resolver, documented upstream behavior, and a way to reach the management interface when the normal name does not resolve. Network services deserve the same recovery thinking as databases and application containers.
The practical boundary
Filtering rules should be treated as configuration, not folklore. Changes need to be understandable, reversible, and tested against the devices that matter. A blocked request is not automatically a successful change if it also breaks an appliance or an automation.
Current as of September 2026. This describes a personal network; addresses, upstreams, and device behavior will vary.
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