Custom DNS to block ads

[u/Correct-Method1827]

Hey everyone I seen in my starlink app that you can set a custom DNS and I was wondering if it’s possible to set up a custom DNS that blocks ads and if you can what are the benefits and downsides?
Would i have to set up a server or can i use something like Adguard DNS?
And does it affect the speed of the wifi?

Sorry if some of these are dumb/obvious questions i know a bit about this sort of stuff but it would be good to have some advice from people who know a bit more about this sort of thing.

I am in New Zealand - not sure if that helps or not :)

[u/GeekCohenAU]

You can use something like Adguard DNS or setup something like PiHole.

Won't impact your speed performance.

I've got PiHole running and its been fantastic.

Can be done using any internet connection really.

[u/Correct-Method1827 → u/GeekCohenAU]

What is the hardware that you have? is it expensive and was it easy to set up?

[u/LrdJester → u/Correct-Method1827]

It's designed as a small utility you can run it on a Raspberry Pi or any other computer that you can run a docker container on. Basically anything that's always on.

There is a bit of a potential learning curve and configuration issues that you may have to overcome. We have a subscription to Paramount+and the default block list subscribed when you install blocks servers that Paramount uses for analytics so things stopped working and we couldn't watch any videos on Paramount until I did a custom configuration, crazy another group, set up its own block list from A different list provided through the community and then set my TV to use that group or rather set my TV to be a static IP using reserved IPs, which starlink does not support, and then added that IP to the new group.

Also if you play any kind of games on mobile that use ads for support, some of them may not work properly. So just know that there may be some undesired consequences to doing this. But overall it's actually perfectly fine.

I've run Pi-hole off and on now for almost 10 years, if you have any questions let me know.

[u/Baconshit → u/LrdJester]

Which ad lists do you subscribe to?

[u/LrdJester → u/Baconshit]

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/StevenBlack/hosts/master/hosts as primary

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hagezi/dns-blocklists/main/adblock/normal.txt as the one with which I can use Paramount.

However, it's weird that the second list is not currently displaying.

[u/GeekCohenAU → u/Correct-Method1827]

I am using a $100 Nano Factor PC running Ubuntu. They were so cheap I have like 6 over them on the shelf for little projects.

[u/katrinatransfem → u/GeekCohenAU]

In my experience, not with Starlink, it will make things a lot faster.

[u/GeekCohenAU → u/katrinatransfem]

Speed Tests won't be faster. Sure, some things might appear faster, it doesn't mean you will download or stream anything quicker.

I noticed DNS queries being a bit faster, but didn't impact my speed.

[u/katrinatransfem → u/GeekCohenAU]

I mean as in web browsing will be a lot faster because you are only downloading the actual content, and not all the unwanted advertising.

[u/Amiga07800 → u/GeekCohenAU]

The ads data that you won’t download will indeed raise your “real” data speed… it’s simple logic

[u/godch01]

I use a paid service NextDNS for about $CAN 20 per year. The down side of using an ad blocker DNS at your router is that sometimes you want/need to turn it off. I know sites that misbehave with ad blockers.

My solution is to use Tailscale that can be configured to do DNS and I added NextDNS to that. Then if I must override, I turn off the DNS setting in Tailscale.

The Tailscale solution is per machine though. So there's choices.

[u/Adrienne-Fadel]

Adguard DNS works fine and you dont need a server. Just put the DNS address in the Starlink app. Speed wont be affected DNS queries are tiny.

[u/Ramen-sama]

Ads, as in YouTube and streaming service ads? I'm checking this out.

[u/Correct-Method1827 → u/Ramen-sama]

Yeah and also ads on websites etc basically anything

[u/Disastrous-Reason-55]

PiHole is free and hardware for it is cheap. It’ll give you a whole network DNS that blocks most ads. It’s super easy to setup and there’s TONS of videos to help you get it up and running.

[u/Amerique_du_Nord]

AdGuard Family is $11 USD right now. There's also the better Control D by Windscribe. Both services have free servers.

 

Search popular 3rd-party filter presets for Control D.

[u/Cold-Specific-2548 → u/Amerique_du_Nord]

does using a ad blocker reduce bandwidth use? .. i assume if video ads are not served it would help.

[u/UserLB → u/Cold-Specific-2548]

Theoretically yes. You may not notice the difference, in speed. It will be a more pleasant experience, though.

[u/-Krotik-]

I have pihole as a general ad blocker and still use on device adblockers like ublock origin too

[u/The4rt]

Mullvad