Pi-hole only works if your devices actually ask it questions. There are two honest ways to arrange that: tell your existing router to hand out the Pi-hole address, or switch the router's DHCP off and let Pi-hole do the job. Here is how to choose.
Every device that joins your network receives a small welcome packet from the DHCP server: your address is this, the gateway is that, and for DNS use this server. Whoever runs DHCP decides which DNS server the whole house uses. Normally that is your router. Pi-hole can also be a DHCP server. This page compares the two routes honestly — including the awkward middle case, routers that will not let you change their DNS at all.
Keep the router as DHCP server and simply change the DNS server it hands out to the Pi-hole address. This is a one-field change, takes two minutes, and is completely reversible. Every device — phones, TVs, laptops, guests — picks up Pi-hole automatically the next time it reconnects. If your router exposes the DNS field in its DHCP or LAN settings, this is the right route for almost every home.
Many routers offer primary and secondary DNS fields. Adding a public DNS (like 8.8.8.8) as secondary 'for safety' quietly defeats Pi-hole: devices are free to ask either server, and many will ask the secondary often — ads leak through unpredictably. If you want blocking to be consistent, the Pi-hole address should be the only DNS handed out. Redundancy is a real concern, but solve it properly with the backup options in the outage guide in this series, not with a bypass.
Some routers — especially ISP-supplied ones — lock the DNS field or ignore your change. The escape hatch: disable DHCP on the router and enable Pi-hole's built-in DHCP server (in the dashboard under Settings, DHCP). Pi-hole then hands out addresses and, naturally, names itself as DNS. You also gain a bonus: the dashboard can show device names next to queries instead of bare addresses. The cost: if the Pi-hole machine is off, new devices cannot even get an address — this route demands a machine that truly never sleeps.
Whichever route you choose, exactly one DHCP server may be active on the network. Two servers race to answer, devices get conflicting instructions, and the failures look random — one phone filtered, another not, changing day to day. When switching routes, disable the old server first, then enable the new one, then reconnect a test device and confirm which server answered (the Pi-hole dashboard shows DHCP leases when it is in charge).
Any device with a manually set DNS ignores DHCP instructions entirely — that is why one phone can keep showing ads while everything else is clean. That is a per-device matter, covered in its own guide in this series. For DHCP strategy, the rule stands: set it once, centrally, and let the network do the distribution.
Router me DNS badalne ka step live dekhna hai to video ka wohi hissa sabse kaam ka hai.
▶️ Watch Full VideoThe router DNS change is simpler and safer for most homes, because the router keeps managing addresses even if the Pi-hole machine reboots. Pi-hole DHCP is the fallback for routers that will not let you change DNS, and it shows nicer device names in the dashboard — but it makes the Pi-hole machine critical for even joining the network.
Not if you want consistent blocking. Devices treat both servers as equal choices and will use the secondary regularly, so ads leak through at random. Leave Pi-hole as the only DNS and handle reliability with a proper backup plan instead.
That is common with ISP-supplied routers. Your options are to disable the router's DHCP and enable Pi-hole's own DHCP server as described on this page, or to set the Pi-hole DNS manually on each device. Pi-hole DHCP covers the whole house in one move.