I'm using an old thin client as a pi-hole DNS server to block unwanted ads and scripts etc. at a DNS level.

It is working all fine, and it is on my local network and it seems to demand the same IP address each time which is good.

I would prefer to also reserve the IP address in the router to ensure that it gets it, so that the internet still works, but it doesn't seem to show up on the DCHP table / client list (whatever you want to call it).

It should be at 192.168.1.5, and it is because it is blocking the ads, and I can log into it via the terminal emulator and also via a web browser.

The router is a Netcom NF5 N300.

Any ideas would be great.
https://trademe.tmcdn.co.nz/photoserver/full/1466795125.jpg

tygertung - 2021-01-11 09:22:00

I would probably set the dhcp range smaller to say 192.168.1.20 through 192.168.1.254 - then set the pi-hole to use a static ip like 192.168.1.5

If it's already set as a static ip then it probably won't show up in the dhcp list since it wasn't issued by dhcp. I had a look in client list of my router and none of the static IP devices are listed either...

king1 - 2021-01-11 10:11:00

I have not set a static IP for the pi-hole in the router, just set it in the pi-hole software to use that IP address.

I guess it must demand the router to be assigned that address.

This networking business is a bit tricky, there are hundreds of different settings in the router, and each router is quite differently laid out, and I have no idea what most of the settings do!

On a previous modem/router I was using, the pi-hole would show up, but I'm not using that one now as that one was for ADSL and am on 4G now. I'm using the 4G modem for the internet connection, and this router is plugged into the modem to try and get a better wi-fi signal.

tygertung - 2021-01-11 13:14:00

sounds like maybe you're confusing two different functions, dhcp reservation and static IP - you sound like you are currently implementing a static IP.

In dhcp reservation, the router always assigns the same IP to a particular device. no ip address changes needed on the client and should be set to get IP address automatically etc

For static IP, the client dictates the IP it will use - only issue here for the router is that it should be on the same subnet but *outside* the router dhcp IP range (hence suggestion to reduce the dhcp IP range), otherwise you can end up with an IP conflict ie two devices with the same IP address

What you have now sounds like it is working as expected and no changes are needed on the router.
Maybe what you had on previous router was a DHCP reservation set via the router, which would then allow it to show up in the devices list.

you are right though all modems are different and some implement some functions and not others, have different terminology etc

Edited by king1 at 1:33 pm, Mon 11 Jan

king1 - 2021-01-11 13:32:00

If you've manually set the IP in pihole, its NOT a DHCP client. The previous router probably had a list of LAN devices, which is different.

You must also add 192.168.1.5 as a DNS server to the DHCP options otherwise the clients wont use it anyway.

bitsnpieces2020 - 2021-01-11 14:20:00

Thanks, I've changed the DHCP range so that it starts above the range of the pi-hole DNS client.

Then I used the terminal to find out the MAC address of the pi-hole using "sudo nmap -sP 192.168.1.5"

I then reserved the IP address for the pi-hole, just to make sure, even though it probably doesn't need, it and it still works after rebooting the router, so all good.

This router seems to work extra good as it seems to tell the pi-hole which client is getting referred to it, so the statistics are for each machine on the network which is nice.

tygertung - 2021-01-12 10:46:00