Introduction
The battle against unwanted internet content—particularly ads and malware—has evolved from simple browser solutions to sophisticated network-level protection. This guide explores comprehensive approaches to taking control of your digital experience, whether at home or on the go.
The Foundation: Home Network Protection
Browser-Level Solutions
The quest to reduce or eliminate unwanted content originating from the Internet (mostly adverts and malware) is a constant challenge that has typically been addressed at the application level (an example being uBlock Origin, blocking adverts and malware but in a browser). This is something many of us have been doing for years.
Advancing to DNS-Level Control: Pihole
On my home network, I added Piholes for my devices to use for DNS; DNS is one of the cornerstones of getting some control on what appears on your device and Pihole is excellent at doing this. With that implementation, at home, the control is there and the adverts (I am less worried about malware) are not.
Piholes are simple to set up and have web interfaces to configure them; you can also use cloudflared or Unbound to loop connections into a secure DNS provider of your own choosing (via DoH or TLS).
Taking Your Protection Everywhere: Two Powerful Solutions
To get control everywhere else you might go, there are two primary options:
Option 1: Tailscale – Your Private Network Anywhere
Tailscale is phenomenal and allows your devices to be on the same, private network for you to use whenever and wherever you want. There are no ports or protocols to open up—you have your own network layer, which is extremely valuable.
Installation is extremely simple as Tailscale is packaged for Windows, macOS, Linux, and mobile devices.
You can add your Pihole(s) to this in the Tailscale Admin Console, on the DNS tab and by setting your Tailscale IP addresses as your Nameservers. This will give you your own DNS wherever you go, maintaining your clean Internet experience.
Configuring an Exit node [on your Pihole or another device in your network] will route all traffic across your Tailscale network and out through your home connection.
Setup Complexity: Tailscale requires less network knowledge and, when connecting to a home network, needs no ports opening. This makes it ideal for users with limited networking experience or those in environments where port forwarding isn’t possible (like corporate networks, apartments with managed internet, etc.).
Maintenance Requirements: Tailscale can auto-update itself on most platforms with minimal user intervention. Most configuration changes happen through the web admin console with immediate effect, and the coordination servers are maintained by Tailscale, not you.
Option 2: PiVPN with Wireguard – Complete Traffic Control
Adding this to a Pihole brings a Wireguard VPN to your life. On-demand on iOS and iPadOS – which is great. This requires a UDP port to be opened into your network to support the inbound connection which will then leverage the Pihole and route all traffic via your own network.
The beauty is that Wireguard sits on a UDP port and will only respond if a valid key is presented to it, otherwise it’s possible to see the open port but not what is running there; change from port 51280 to further obscure what the open port might be doing if you wish.
There is some command-line work to be done to create the keypairs with the configuration files being stored on the PiVPN server; devices with cameras can configure their Wireguard client by reading a QR code – other devices will need text and/or files to be moved to the clients that will connect to the VPN.
Setup Complexity: PiVPN/Wireguard demands more technical knowledge, including comfort with Linux terminal commands, router configuration for port forwarding, understanding of key cryptography, and more involved client configuration processes.
Maintenance Requirements: Pi-based solutions need regular manual care, including OS updates, application updates, certificate/key management, firewall monitoring, and hardware checks. You’ll need to establish a maintenance schedule to keep everything running smoothly and securely.
Mobile-Specific Considerations
iOS and iPadOS Wireguard On-Demand Functionality
The on-demand feature in Wireguard for iOS/iPadOS is particularly powerful because:
- Seamless activation: The VPN automatically connects when needed (like when joining untrusted networks) without requiring manual intervention
- Context-aware rules: You can configure the VPN to activate based on specific networks, domains, or other triggers
- Battery optimization: By only activating when necessary, it reduces the battery impact compared to always-on VPN solutions
- Per-network configurations: You can set different rules for home, work, and public networks
Additional Mobile Considerations
There are several other mobile-specific factors to consider:
- Battery consumption: Both VPN solutions will increase battery usage, though modern implementations like Wireguard are more efficient than older protocols
- Data usage tracking: Mobile users on limited data plans should be aware that VPN usage might bypass some carrier-level tracking tools
- App compatibility issues: Some mobile apps (particularly banking apps) may detect and block VPN usage as a security measure
- Mobile OS restrictions: iOS places stricter limitations on background processes than Android, which can affect how consistently your protection works when switching apps
- Configuration retention: iOS sometimes “forgets” VPN configurations after updates, requiring occasional reconfiguration
- Mobile UI limitations: Managing Pihole block lists or troubleshooting connection issues through a mobile interface can be more cumbersome than on desktop
- Cellular vs. Wi-Fi handling: You may want different filtering rules depending on whether you’re on cellular data or Wi-Fi
- Split tunneling options: Android offers more flexibility for determining which apps use the VPN and which don’t, while iOS generally applies VPN settings system-wide
Maintenance Recommendations
Tailscale: Minimal Maintenance
- Automatic updates: The Tailscale client automatically updates itself on most platforms
- Server-side management: Most configuration changes happen through the web admin console with immediate effect
- Centralized monitoring: The admin console provides status information for all devices
- Resilient reconnection: Automatically handles network changes and interruptions
Pi-based Solutions: Regular Attention Required
Pihole Maintenance
- OS updates: The underlying Raspberry Pi OS needs regular security updates
- Pihole updates: Manual updates through the web interface or command line (
pihole -up) - Blocklist maintenance: Regular review and updates to blocklists to stay effective
- Hardware monitoring: Checking SD card health, temperature, and system resources
- Log review: Occasionally examining query logs to identify false positives or missed content
PiVPN Maintenance
- Security updates: Regular updates to Wireguard and the underlying system
- Certificate/key management: Occasionally rotating keys for security
- Client configuration updates: Generating new configs when adding devices
- Firewall monitoring: Ensuring your open port remains secure
- Performance tuning: Adjusting settings as your network usage patterns change
Practical Maintenance Schedule
For a balanced approach:
Weekly:
- Quick check of Pihole dashboard for any unusual patterns
- Verify all systems are online and responding
Monthly:
- Run OS and application updates (
apt update && apt upgrade) - Update Pihole gravity lists (
pihole -g) - Check disk usage and system logs for issues
Quarterly:
- Review and update blocklists
- Consider rotating Wireguard keys
- Back up configurations
- Check for hardware issues (SD card health, temperature)
Annual:
- Comprehensive system review
- Consider if hardware upgrades are needed
- Review networking changes that might affect your setup
Additional Benefits Beyond Ad Blocking
The benefits of these approaches are numerous:
- You will be able to access your resources at home (if you have servers, virtual machines, NAS devices, cameras, etc.)
- You will retain access to what would be georestricted content that might be blocked if you’re abroad
- If you use public WiFi a lot, you will also be happy to route your traffic over a secure connection and get DNS from your own trusted source
- It’s also highly likely that you trust your own ISP (but maybe don’t use their DNS….) more than any other provider somewhere else
Conclusion
Whichever solution you choose—Tailscale for simplicity or PiVPN/Wireguard for complete control—these approaches transform your browsing experience from reactive defense to proactive control. By implementing DNS-level filtering at home and extending that protection through a secure network connection when away, you ensure your digital world remains as clean and secure as you want it to be, no matter where you are.
For those newer to networking, consider a progressive approach: start with Pihole for local network protection, add Tailscale to extend that protection while traveling, and graduate to PiVPN/Wireguard if you want complete traffic control and have developed comfort with the underlying technologies.
