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AdBlock with Pi-hole for C.H.I.P

June 6, 2017 - C.H.I.P
AdBlock with Pi-hole for C.H.I.P

How to AdBlock your entire network

Say goodbye to interruptions and frustration caused by ads with an always-on, low-cost ad-blocking solution. For as little as 12$, you can have network-wide ad-blocking using a 9$ microcomputer called C.H.I.P. This project will guide you through the process of using C.H.I.P to block ads on all devices connected to your network, including computers, smartphones, smart TVs, and any other device with a browser installed. Imagine a seamless browsing experience without ads on every device in your house.

Sounds too good to be true? Follow this project and see for yourself how easy and affordable it is!

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.

c.h.i.p

Hardware Specs

 

C.H.I.P
Retail Cost9$
GPIO80
CPU1GHz Allwinner R8
RAM512MB
Storage4GB
Wall PowerUSB 5V @ 300mA (peak)
Battery PowerSingle cell 3.7V LiPo battery w/ 2-pin JST-PH 2.0mm
WiFi802.11b/g/n
BLEYes
USB1 standard & 1 micro with OTG
CompositeYes via ⅛” mini TRRS to RCA composite video output cable
LicenseOpen Hardware
OSCustom Linux, soon to be mainline Linux
IO Header typeFemale headers
Dimensions40mm × 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:

 

ItemsDescriptionQTYPriceLink
C.H.I.Px19$getchip
Project Box
85x58x33mm
x11.5$ebay
Fan
40mm x 10mm
x11$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

nmtui

2. Set a static IP for chip’s mac address in your router

 

Install curl (required for pi-hole installation)

apt-get -y install curl

 

Now it’s time to install pi-hole

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

select interface

Now make sure that the IP that is showing is the one we configured earlier

static ip address

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

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

pihole interface adblock

 

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

chip with casing and adblock installed

 

Let me know if you experience any problems with the installation and I will try to guide you through it.