Ad-free home network: Install Pi-hole on Windows

Have you ever experienced this? You’re browsing on your phone and a banner obscures the text. You launch an app and have to watch a 30-second video first. Or your smart TV displays ads in the menu. An ad blocker in your browser won’t help.

The solution is a “black hole” for ads: Pi-hole.

This software doesn’t filter ads on your device, but directly at the source: in your network. When your phone tries to load an ad, Pi-hole simply says, “I don’t recognize this address”—and the ad stays away. This saves data, reduces frustration, and makes your internet faster.

The solution is a “black hole” for ads: Pi-hole. Here I’ll show you how to use your existing Windows server (e.g., from our FRITZ!Box telephony project).

Preparation: What we need

Your Windows laptop/PC, ideally connected to the FRITZ!Box via LAN cable.
A static IP address for this laptop (I’ll explain that in a moment).
The software Docker Desktop (free for private use).

Docker desktop download

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Assign a fixed address to your laptop

To ensure the FRITZ!Box knows where to send requests, your laptop’s address must not change.

Log in to the FRITZ!Box.
Go to Home Network > Network.
Find your laptop in the list and click on the pencil icon (Edit).
Check the box next to: “Always assign the same IPv4 address to this network device”.
Note down this IP address (e.g. 192.168.178.20).

Step 2: Install Docker

Pi-hole runs best in a so-called “container.” Think of it like a Tupperware container: Everything Pi-hole needs is packed inside, keeping your Windows system clean.

Download and install Docker Desktop for Windows.
You may need to restart your PC.
Start Docker Desktop and wait until the status bar in the bottom left corner is green (“Engine running”).

Docker desktop download

Step 3: Start Pi-hole (The magic command)

We don’t need to install anything complicated; we just give Docker a single command. On your Windows PC, open the command prompt (CMD) or PowerShell and copy and paste this block into it (all on one line or block):

docker run -d –name pihole -e TZ=”Europe/Berlin” -e WEBPASSWORD=”deinPasswort123” -v pihole_etc:/etc/pihole -v pihole_dnsmasq:/etc/dnsmasq.d -p 53:53/tcp -p 53:53/udp -p 80:80/tcp –restart=unless-stopped pihole/pihole:latest

What’s happening here?

WEBPASSWORD: Replace “yourPassword123” with your own password for the dashboard.
-p 53:53: Opens the port for DNS (the internet’s phone book).
–restart=unless-stopped: When you restart your laptop, Pi-hole will restart automatically.

Now go to http://localhost/admin in your browser. If you see the dashboard: Congratulations! Your ad blocker is working.

Step 4: Redirecting the FRITZ!Box

Now we need to tell the FRITZ!Box to no longer query your internet provider’s DNS server, but your laptop.

In the FRITZ!Box, go to Internet > Access Data > DNS Server.
Select “Use other DNSv4 servers”.
Enter your laptop’s IP address in the Preferred DNSv4 server field (the one from step 1, e.g. 192.168.178.20).
For an alternative DNSv4 server, you should enter a public DNS server for security reasons (e.g., 1.1.1.1 from Cloudflare or 8.8.8.8 from Google).
- Why? If you turn off your laptop, your home internet connection would otherwise drop. This way, the FRITZ!Box automatically reverts to the backup (though this will then include advertising).
Click on Apply.

Step 5: Test and Enjoy!

Briefly disconnect your phone from Wi-Fi and reconnect it so the changes take effect. Now visit an ad-heavy news site. You’ll see: The white spaces where there used to be flashing banners remain empty.

A Look at the Dashboard: On your laptop, go to http://192.168.178.20/admin (or localhost/admin). You’ll now see the “Queries Blocked” counter increasing live. These are all requests that didn’t reach you.

In the FRITZ!Box, go to Internet > Access Data > DNS Server.
Select “Use other DNSv4 servers”.
Enter your laptop’s IP address in the Preferred DNSv4 server field (the one from step 1, e.g. 192.168.178.20).
For an alternative DNSv4 server, you should enter a public DNS server for security reasons (e.g., 1.1.1.1 from Cloudflare or 8.8.8.8 from Google).
- Why? If you turn off your laptop, your home internet connection would otherwise drop. This way, the FRITZ!Box automatically reverts to the backup (though this will then include advertising).
Click on Apply.

Important conclusion & warning

This solution is extremely powerful. Apps on your phone, smart TV menus, and websites will be ad-free.

But note: Since your laptop is now the “pathfinder” for your internet connection, it needs to be running for the ad blocking to work. If you turn it off or it goes into standby mode, the FRITZ!Box’s “Alternative DNS” takes over. The internet will continue to work, but the ads will return until the laptop is running again.

Enjoy the clean internet!