How to AdBlock your entire network
How about an AdBlock service running 24/7 in your house without interruption and as low as 12$? Sounds awesome right? The following project will show you how to use the 9$ microcomputer called C.H.I.P to block the ads in your whole network, not only in your computer but also in your smartphone, your smart TV, and any other device with a browser installed.
C.H.I.P is a hand sized computer like Raspberry Pi but much cheaper. Even though it is not as powerful as Pi it is perfect for our purpose.
Hardware Specs
| C.H.I.P | |
|---|---|
| Retail Cost | 9$ |
| GPIO | 80 |
| CPU | 1GHz Allwinner R8 |
| RAM | 512MB |
| Storage | 4GB |
| Wall Power | USB 5V @ 300mA (peak) |
| Battery Power | Single cell 3.7V LiPo battery w/ 2-pin JST-PH 2.0mm |
| WiFi | 802.11b/g/n |
| BLE | Yes |
| USB | 1 standard & 1 micro with OTG |
| Composite | Yes via ⅛” mini TRRS to RCA composite video output cable |
| License | Open Hardware |
| OS | Custom Linux, soon to be mainline Linux |
| IO Header type | Female headers |
| Dimensions | 40mm × 60mm |
You are going to need a c.h.i.p, a case and a fan. The last two are optional, but since the device is for long term use I believe that it is good to have them. If you don’t want to buy them just improvise with anything you have at your disposal.
Required Components:
| Items | Description | QTY | Price | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | C.H.I.P | x1 | 9$ | getchip |
 | Project Box 85x58x33mm | x1 | 1.5$ | ebay |
 | Fan 40mm x 10mm | x1 | 1$ | ebay |
At this point I have to make clear that the idea is not mine, I improved it and added some notes about the installation.
More info about the Pi-Hole project are available at the official page here
Installation:
First we have to set a static IP for our C.H.I.P and there are two ways to do this, personally I prefer the second one:
1. Use the text based GUI network manager. Bring up the menu with the following command and set up a static IP for wlan0
|
1 |
nmtui |
2. Set a static IP for chip’s mac address in your router
Install curl (required for pi-hole installation)
|
1 |
apt-get -y install curl |
Now it’s time to install pi-hole
|
1 |
curl -sSL https://install.pi-hole.net | bash |
Note: If you have already installed and configured lighttpd, pi-hole installation will overwrite you configuration files. Make a backup of it to be safe.
Select wlan0 from the available interfaces and press OK
Now make sure that the IP that is showing is the one we configured earlier
A few extra prompts will appear during the installation that are self explanatory (e.g select google DNS or any other you prefer)
After the installation is completed we have to remove dhcpcd5 with the following command
|
1 |
apt-get remove dhcpcd5 |
I don’t know exactly why but dhcpcd5 seems to create a new interface and tunnel IPv6 through to wlan0 interface.
You have to uninstall dhcpcd5 now and every time pi-hole gets an update, otherwise chip is going to lose connectivity permanently.
Pi-Hole is now installed in our C.H.I.P but before we start enjoying an ad free browsing experience we have to change our Router DNS and point it to C.H.I.P static address.
Now you can access the environment with your browser: http://192.168.1.103/admin
Casing (optional)
First drill some holes on that part of the case that the fan is going to be installed and screw the fan to the case.
Then connect the fan to GND and 5v C.H.I.P pins, close the case and you are ready to go
Let me know if you experience any problems with the installation and I will try to guide you through it.