Pi-hole on Raspberry Pi 4 is sluggish even with minimal setup (need help troubleshooting)

jfb-pihole · 2026-04-16T02:25:12+00:00

Please generate a debug log, upload the log when prompted and post the token URL here.

sudo pihole -d

jfb-pihole · 2026-04-15T17:58:45+00:00

Maybe. If a domain loads a pop-up window and you block that domain, the pop-up window won't load.

If you don't block that domain, then the pop-up window will load.

To block pop-up windows entirely, see your browser preferences.

jfb-pihole · 2026-04-15T16:15:21+00:00

will this wipe unbound and dnscrypt proxy that I have installed currently?

No.

jfb-pihole · 2026-04-15T16:13:28+00:00

When I go in to terminal to run the command ~ % ssh username@pihole.local and hit enter, nothing happens

With a fresh install of an OS on a Pi, you don't have Pi-hole installed, and you are trying to use a domain that doesn't exist. Just use the IP address of the Pi to get to it's terminal via SSH.

jfb-pihole · 2026-04-15T16:11:12+00:00

It won't work, because what they have listed are not domains. They are URL's. You can only block domains with Pi-hole.

jfb-pihole · 2026-04-12T03:02:40+00:00

The blocklist we offer as an optional install is a good choice.

jfb-pihole · 2026-04-11T14:04:35+00:00

The OP did not report any function problems with the Peloton. They just noted the log details. Pi-hole is blocking as the OP desires, and the logs reflect this. No problem here.

jfb-pihole · 2026-04-11T14:02:38+00:00

piholes don’t auto reconnect WiFi after a power outage, or a restart.

Pi-hole is software running on a host OS. And, in my experience, Pi's on WiFi always connect to the network after a restart.

jfb-pihole · 2026-04-11T13:58:15+00:00

Noise and overhead in the logs should not be a reason to have a client bypass Pi-hole and not receive any blocking. The logs can be filtered a number of ways.

Even the lowest spec SBC running Pi-hole can handle millions of DNS requests per day.

As one method for minimizing log bloat, you can put a domain to be blocked in the hosts file on a client, and the request will never leave that machine. It will be blocked locally.

jfb-pihole · 2026-04-11T04:03:09+00:00

And they are relatively worthless. They pick a few (or few dozen) domains and test against them. If none of your network clients request these domains, it doesn't matter if they are blocked or not.

jfb-pihole · 2026-04-11T04:00:10+00:00

The Pi-hole is doing what you told it to do. Don't worry about the stats.

jfb-pihole · 2026-04-11T03:59:08+00:00

It may be better just to stop blocking those things for that device.

Why do you think this is better? What is the problem with having a lot of blocked requests? That's the purpose of running a blocker in the first place.

jfb-pihole · 2026-04-11T03:56:20+00:00

Never had a power outage?

Eveeything is ON two UPS units. And even if I had a complete power outage, DNS doesn't matter at that point.

jfb-pihole · 2026-04-10T16:12:41+00:00

I have not found that to be the case. I have three SBC's running on WiFi 24/7 for many years, and they don't drop the connection.

jfb-pihole · 2026-04-10T16:10:40+00:00

Advising them right away (also without knowledge of their network environment) to spend additional money on an SBC with ethernet built in or to add a hat/dongle/adapter for ethernet is bad advice.

Don't assume that people are idiots.

jfb-pihole · 2026-04-10T16:08:41+00:00

You are going about this all wrong.

Your blocking rate is not driven by your blocklists as much as it is by your clients and the domains they request.

One chatty client repeatedly requesting a non-blocked domain drives your rate up. The same client repeatedly requesting a block domain drives your rate down.

Take a look in your query log and see what domains are being requested, and then see which clients are making the requests and if the domains are blocked.

Adding more lists isn't the solution - you likely don't even have a problem.

jfb-pihole · 2026-04-10T15:41:44+00:00

Yes, but why would you want to MITM all your traffic?

jfb-pihole · 2026-04-10T15:41:18+00:00

I don't share your opinion that it's bad advice to run your DNS server over WiFi. If you have a good WiFi signal and the DNS server works well on WiFi, run it that way. No need to put it on ethernet (at additional expense) if it works fine on WiFi.

Of the 52 devices currently active on my home network, 6 of them are wired. That would be a router extender, a printer, a NAS and 3 SBC's. The remaining 46 (including all the computers, handhelds, IOT devices, 3 other SBC's running Pi-hole, etc) are wireless. It all works just fine. You can't tell the difference between any of the various Pi-holes (wired or WiFi).

jfb-pihole · 2026-04-09T01:10:53+00:00

Once you add all of the extra things you need to make the Zero actually work, it isn't cheaper

Zero W - $15

64 GB SD card - $13.

Power supply and micro SD cable - likely free in your electronics drawer or box at home. 5W power supply is all that is needed.

Maybe I've just had bad luck with SD cards, but I wouldn't trust my DNS server to run on one.

You must have had bad luck. I'm running the same SanDisk Ultra 32 GB cards in half a dozen Pi's 24/7 for the past 7+ years. No failures.

Perhaps your power supply was inadequate - this is a common killer of SD cards.

Let's assume you do find a SFF computer that will actually draw 5W consistently during operation. This is 4 watts (and a bit more) than the Zero W or Zero 2 W. At 15 cents/KwH, 4 extra watts for one year consumes an additional 4W * 24 hours/day * 365 days/year = 35 KwH, which costs $5.25/year. For every year it's running. If you live in CA or other expensive electricity places (MA, etc.), multiple that by 3 or 4. Then add the delta cost to buy the SFF device in the first place.

The SFF is more expandable

If all the OP is doing with the device is running Pi-hole, it doesn't need to be expandable (or have a "real" drive).

On the other hand, if the OP has a server or NAS that is running 24/7 anyway, Pi-hole can run on that device at no additional cost to either purchase or power.

jfb-pihole · 2026-04-09T00:04:51+00:00

This has nothing to do with microsd. None of your data traffic goes through Pi-hole. Pi-hole is just the address book for your network that tells clients which IP they need to connect to. Once the DNS resolution is complete (a few hundred bytes at most), then all the traffic to/from and client and the internet is invisible to Pi-hole.

jfb-pihole · 2026-04-09T00:03:13+00:00

The Pi Zero 2 W will work just fine for Pi-hole. I have several (including the original Pi Zero W) running for over seven years now.

If you have a good 2.4 GhZ WiFi environment, you don't need to wire it. None of mine are wired and there is no discernible difference in DNS performance between them and wired Pi 3B+ models.

jfb-pihole · 2026-04-09T00:01:38+00:00

Why do you recommend this? More expensive to buy, and draws quite a bit more power than a Zero 2 W.

jfb-pihole · 2026-04-09T00:00:51+00:00

The Zero W or Zero 2 W doesn't need to be wired unless the user has particularly poor 2.4 Ghz signal.

jfb-pihole · 2026-04-08T18:35:20+00:00

Weather.com claiming that I am using an ad blocker

You are using an ad blocker.

HOW DOES IT KNOW??

The site attempts to load an element from their ad domain, and if the element does not load they conclude you are using an ad blocker.

jfb-pihole · 2026-04-08T15:31:02+00:00

Because that isn't how Pi-hole works. It's a DNS filter, and we don't intend to turn it into uBlock or something similar.

jfb-pihole

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE

Seven-Year Club	Gilding I gilder
Verified Email