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I'm one of those users -- I set up a pihole as my DHCP server to get ad blocking on all devices on my network a few years ago and haven't really thought about i

I'm one of those users -- I set up a pihole as my DHCP server to get ad blocking on all devices on my network a few years ago and haven't really thought about it since. Raspberry Pi was familiar enough. Networking in general is mostly Greek to me, so it wasn't the easiest thing to do, but it's pretty much been set-and-forget since the initial setup (aside from updating pihole itself and the web interface every few months). I've seen AdGuard recommended a lot recently but from what I can tell this doesn't do the same thing as a DHCP pihole. Something I'd love to do some day is replace my consumer router with something open source and run an all-in-one solution (ad blocking for all devices on network, DoH, as well as just a generally competent home router for a small apartment). Do you have any recommendations for where to start if I were to go down this road?

gh02t 2y ago
Easiest first step is to see if your current router has support for OpenWRT. I find OpenWRT kinda hard to use, but a lot of people swear by it and it's very capable even. More powerful options are projects like PfSense or Opnsense, but those require more expensive hardware and for most uses you probably also need a separate switch. I personally use PfSense and find it relatively easy to use while being extremely powerful, absolutely jam packed with features but an accessible WebUI and clear documentation. Probably the best all round option are the semi open, prosumer-ish products from companies like Ubiquiti or gl.inet (the latter is even based on OpenWRT, but with a nicer UI... I have one of their routers as a travel router). Ubiquiti's Unifi routers are very easy to use and jam packed with features for a pretty great price, but their platform is not truly open source. Still, gl.inet or Unifi are what I would probably most recommend to someone like you looking to upgrade but feeling overwhelmed by lack of knowledge. Beware it's fun to tinker and that's how I learnd pretty much everything I know about networking, but breaking the Internet will not endear your new toys to your family. It's good to have a spare in case you mess up so you can keep the bits flowing while you undo your mistake. Anything you choose is going to be an ongoing learning experience if you're starting from no knowledge, but there are lots of high quality tutorials on places like YouTube.
- ddejohn 2y ago
  Thanks a bunch. I have actually used unifi routers in the past and didn't always have a great experience with them, but it's been a while and I feel like I might be ready to try again. Will also look into gl.inet, thanks!
  - ahepp 2y ago
    Some of Ubiquiti's old EdgeRouter line supports OpenWRT. I'm running it on a Ubiquiti EdgeRouter X. I doubt any of their newer Unifi stuff does though.
  - gh02t 2y ago
    Unifi has improved a lot in very recent times in terms of both features and ease of use. I wasn't that keen on their router/firewalls previously, but I quite like them now and the prices on some of their gateway hardware are unbeatable. The Unifi Express is $150 and includes a built in access point and runs their software stack so you don't need to host it elsewhere like you used to. Only real downside is it doesn't have a built-in switch, but a cheap dumb switch should be plenty for normal uses and you always have the option to buy a Unifi (or other brand) managed switch if you want to do more advanced stuff.

gh02t 2y ago

Easiest first step is to see if your current router has support for OpenWRT. I find OpenWRT kinda hard to use, but a lot of people swear by it and it's very capable even. More powerful options are projects like PfSense or Opnsense, but those require more expensive hardware and for most uses you probably also need a separate switch. I personally use PfSense and find it relatively easy to use while being extremely powerful, absolutely jam packed with features but an accessible WebUI and clear documentation. Probably the best all round option are the semi open, prosumer-ish products from companies like Ubiquiti or gl.inet (the latter is even based on OpenWRT, but with a nicer UI... I have one of their routers as a travel router). Ubiquiti's Unifi routers are very easy to use and jam packed with features for a pretty great price, but their platform is not truly open source. Still, gl.inet or Unifi are what I would probably most recommend to someone like you looking to upgrade but feeling overwhelmed by lack of knowledge. Beware it's fun to tinker and that's how I learnd pretty much everything I know about networking, but breaking the Internet will not endear your new toys to your family. It's good to have a spare in case you mess up so you can keep the bits flowing while you undo your mistake. Anything you choose is going to be an ongoing learning experience if you're starting from no knowledge, but there are lots of high quality tutorials on places like YouTube.

ddejohn 2y ago
Thanks a bunch. I have actually used unifi routers in the past and didn't always have a great experience with them, but it's been a while and I feel like I might be ready to try again. Will also look into gl.inet, thanks!
- ahepp 2y ago
  Some of Ubiquiti's old EdgeRouter line supports OpenWRT. I'm running it on a Ubiquiti EdgeRouter X. I doubt any of their newer Unifi stuff does though.
- gh02t 2y ago
  Unifi has improved a lot in very recent times in terms of both features and ease of use. I wasn't that keen on their router/firewalls previously, but I quite like them now and the prices on some of their gateway hardware are unbeatable. The Unifi Express is $150 and includes a built in access point and runs their software stack so you don't need to host it elsewhere like you used to. Only real downside is it doesn't have a built-in switch, but a cheap dumb switch should be plenty for normal uses and you always have the option to buy a Unifi (or other brand) managed switch if you want to do more advanced stuff.