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With pi-hole, you can also block telemetry from smart devices (TVs, dish washers and stuff), and if you run it on a VPN that your phone is connected to, you can

With pi-hole, you can also block telemetry from smart devices (TVs, dish washers and stuff), and if you run it on a VPN that your phone is connected to, you can also block ads and tracking in phone apps. As mentioned in the article, pi-hole complements a browser ad block, doesn't replace it.

timbit42 1y ago
I just don't connect those devices to any internet.
- ThrowawayTestr 1y ago
  Some people like to watch YouTube on their TV
  - jstanley 1y ago
    I watch YouTube on my TV. Using Firefox, with uBlock Origin. We have a laptop plugged into the TV, with a bluetooth keyboard. It is a vastly superior experience to any smart TV I have ever seen.
    - dividedcomet 1y ago
      And also more than most people want to have setup in the living room. My wife would rather have ads on YouTube occasionally than an ugly computer plugged in all the time. It’s also more difficult to deal with than a remote you can work one handed.
      - godelski 1y ago
        You can get a pi and tuck it behind the TV. Then get a mouse that's styled like a remote. There's also plenty of OSs designed to look like a proper smart TV OS
      - jstanley 1y ago
        It's not ugly, it's hidden inside the cabinet that the TV stands on.
      - akimbostrawman 1y ago
        Small PCs and drawers exist and i would rather have a whole damn server rack than 30 seconds to 3 minute ads every 5-10 minutes / video. It's worse than TV...and no im not gonna give google money for a continually worse experience despite paying.
    - timeinput 1y ago
      I'm with you entirely, and that is how I interact with youtube. My wife likes to cast youtube videos from her phone to the TV, so the experience is nearly the same to her on her phone as it is watching on TV. Maybe if she only used the PC interface she wouldn't mind, but she likes to search / scan / scroll youtube on her phone, and cast the bits she's going to actually watch. She was very frustrated by having to find the video she wanted to watch on her phone on the PC using the some what finicky mouse touch pad to get the cursor to open the web browser, navigate to youtube, enter the title in the search box (possibly) scroll to find the video, and then a couple more steps getting it playing full screen. I'm happy we have options to block ads that aren't uBlock Origin in firefox, even though that works great, and better than other options.
    - calvano915 1y ago
      Using my ShieldTV, I've very much enjoyed SmartTube for ad-free YouTube viewing. It performs very well and is constantly updated when YT pushes new blocking techniques.
    - Mashimo 1y ago
      Do you honestly not understand why some people don't want that setup?
      - jstanley 1y ago
        No, the objections are stupid. Not only is the Firefox experience vastly superior to any smart TV app, but you can have easy and effective ad blocking on top. My best guess at why people don't want to do this is that we're conditioned not to do anything that isn't advertised to us, and nobody is running adverts telling you to hook a laptop up to your TV for a superior smart TV experience.
        Mashimo 1y ago
        No need to tell me the advantages, I get it. But I also get why people just want to sit on the couch, find a nice video on the phone and with the press of a button want to see it on the TV. No computer boot time, no updates, no writing on the keyboard while laying down. I get that you can buy a fanless pc, install linux with unattended-upgrades and you have something more powerful. But most people don't know how or don't want to go through that hassle.
        jstanley 1y ago
        Leave the computer running all the time. Never install software updates. Browsing for videos with keyboard is equivalent or better than browsing with phone. If you really want to browse with phone I guess you need a Firefox extension that can send the tab to the laptop. Personally I've never looked into that because I can't imagine wanting to do it.
        Mashimo 1y ago
        > Browsing for videos with keyboard is equivalent or better than browsing with phone. Again, for you yes. But some lay down on the couch and a keyboard in that posture is just annoying. And copying a youtube video from the app, into firefox app to just send it to the computer is bonkers complicated when you could just press the cast icon. A lot of people interact with their phone all the time, but rarely use the computer. I'm telling you, it's more easy to use the build in Youtube app for a lot of people.
- godelski 1y ago
  You don't connect your phone to the internet?
  - akimbostrawman 1y ago
    Smartphone doesn't inherently mean telemetry and ads. https://grapheneos.org/ https://grapheneos.org/ https://f-droid.org/ https://f-droid.org/
    - godelski 1y ago
      Well I can't control other peoples' devices and I do have friends over occasionally lol

timbit42 1y ago

I just don't connect those devices to any internet.

ThrowawayTestr 1y ago
Some people like to watch YouTube on their TV
- jstanley 1y ago
  I watch YouTube on my TV. Using Firefox, with uBlock Origin. We have a laptop plugged into the TV, with a bluetooth keyboard. It is a vastly superior experience to any smart TV I have ever seen.
  - dividedcomet 1y ago
    And also more than most people want to have setup in the living room. My wife would rather have ads on YouTube occasionally than an ugly computer plugged in all the time. It’s also more difficult to deal with than a remote you can work one handed.
    - godelski 1y ago
      You can get a pi and tuck it behind the TV. Then get a mouse that's styled like a remote. There's also plenty of OSs designed to look like a proper smart TV OS
    - jstanley 1y ago
      It's not ugly, it's hidden inside the cabinet that the TV stands on.
    - akimbostrawman 1y ago
      Small PCs and drawers exist and i would rather have a whole damn server rack than 30 seconds to 3 minute ads every 5-10 minutes / video. It's worse than TV...and no im not gonna give google money for a continually worse experience despite paying.
  - timeinput 1y ago
    I'm with you entirely, and that is how I interact with youtube. My wife likes to cast youtube videos from her phone to the TV, so the experience is nearly the same to her on her phone as it is watching on TV. Maybe if she only used the PC interface she wouldn't mind, but she likes to search / scan / scroll youtube on her phone, and cast the bits she's going to actually watch. She was very frustrated by having to find the video she wanted to watch on her phone on the PC using the some what finicky mouse touch pad to get the cursor to open the web browser, navigate to youtube, enter the title in the search box (possibly) scroll to find the video, and then a couple more steps getting it playing full screen. I'm happy we have options to block ads that aren't uBlock Origin in firefox, even though that works great, and better than other options.
  - calvano915 1y ago
    Using my ShieldTV, I've very much enjoyed SmartTube for ad-free YouTube viewing. It performs very well and is constantly updated when YT pushes new blocking techniques.
  - Mashimo 1y ago
    Do you honestly not understand why some people don't want that setup?
    - jstanley 1y ago
      No, the objections are stupid. Not only is the Firefox experience vastly superior to any smart TV app, but you can have easy and effective ad blocking on top. My best guess at why people don't want to do this is that we're conditioned not to do anything that isn't advertised to us, and nobody is running adverts telling you to hook a laptop up to your TV for a superior smart TV experience.
      - Mashimo 1y ago
        No need to tell me the advantages, I get it. But I also get why people just want to sit on the couch, find a nice video on the phone and with the press of a button want to see it on the TV. No computer boot time, no updates, no writing on the keyboard while laying down. I get that you can buy a fanless pc, install linux with unattended-upgrades and you have something more powerful. But most people don't know how or don't want to go through that hassle.
        jstanley 1y ago
        Leave the computer running all the time. Never install software updates. Browsing for videos with keyboard is equivalent or better than browsing with phone. If you really want to browse with phone I guess you need a Firefox extension that can send the tab to the laptop. Personally I've never looked into that because I can't imagine wanting to do it.
        Mashimo 1y ago
        > Browsing for videos with keyboard is equivalent or better than browsing with phone. Again, for you yes. But some lay down on the couch and a keyboard in that posture is just annoying. And copying a youtube video from the app, into firefox app to just send it to the computer is bonkers complicated when you could just press the cast icon. A lot of people interact with their phone all the time, but rarely use the computer. I'm telling you, it's more easy to use the build in Youtube app for a lot of people.
godelski 1y ago
You don't connect your phone to the internet?
- akimbostrawman 1y ago
  Smartphone doesn't inherently mean telemetry and ads. https://grapheneos.org/ https://grapheneos.org/ https://f-droid.org/ https://f-droid.org/
  - godelski 1y ago
    Well I can't control other peoples' devices and I do have friends over occasionally lol