FYI for anyone doing this in 2024: the raspberry pi installer now has options to add wifi settings and enable ssh when flashing the OS on your microSD card. Makes the process a tiny bit more convenient :)
No you won't. Pi-hole does not block youtube ads because these are shown through the same video stream link from where the video is being streamed. Try U-origin.
Instantly subscribed. This is the first video I have seen from you and it was precisely the kind of video audiences wants. NO beating around the bush, cut to the chase, focused tutorial. Keep up the good work mate.
I tried at least 6 tutorials before bumping into your tutorial. Those two files to add to the partition boot was missing in all of the 6 tutorials I watched. I was not able to make it to work. Now is working like a charm.
Thanks, I set everything up in roughly half an hour following your guide. I used an old 8GB microSD, and I can confirm that it's enough for the purpose.
just wanted to say thanks and give a heads up on an issue I had for others. some provided gateways from ISPs will not let you change the DNS server in their settings and the DNS server is actually hardcoded in the gateway. you can get around this by changing the preferred DNS server in each of your device's settings or I have read you can also use the raspberry pi built-in DHCP server to get around it(haven't tried this).
This is correct. I have used a Huawei B593 4G modem/router with a firmware that did not allow for changing the DNS. So I did it manually on the devices used in the network and it worked fine. Just meant going around and finding all the phones/tablets/laptops around the house.
Setting a static ip is SUPER IMPORTANT. I didn't do that first time and my router thought my mac mini and pi were the same person and immediately took down my access to the internet.
That was very helpful. Thank you !!! One thing I may have missed and needed to look up elsewhere was how to change the passord supplied for the pihole. This is done via the ssh command line and "pihole -a -p (password)".
Can confirm this will work on a pi 1, and I used a ethernet cable and just skipped the wireless.txt part. also have it plugged into the modem, everything seems to be working just fine.
Fantastic video, thanks a lot! Neat and to the point. Small side note: There's plain text credentials visible at 7:06, you might want to blur that or something.
got my pi hole running as a docker container inside open media vault , works great just use the raspberry pie ip and port that specified to access the web gui, the reason i like this is one pi 4 runs a mini nas, pi-hole and is my torrent box :P
My next project, but currently evaluating whether Pi-hole, or Adguard Home is the best choice. So many opinions on which is better. So far the edge seems to be for Adguard...
I heard you have to think about the log files that will be created. ofc you can define how long logs are kept and whether you want to log in the first place. if you accept recommended options during the configuration the pi will log ... a lot ...
Seeing Ads isn't a bad thing however when an App has Ads it pisses me off cause it's using my bandwidth so i don't like it But i won't be bothered if i see Ads on a website i browse cause i know i'm supporting them
Thanks Michael! This was a great vid to follow up on! I think if I leave some secondary dns it should be a good backup in the rare case the pi doesn't come up, right?
Yes if your router allows for it that'll be good. Just be aware that some routers just use the two interchangeably, so it doesn't try the primary and if that fails it tries the secondary, it just sends some requests to the primary and some to the secondary.
They've become really expensive around the world, unfortunately re-sellers are capitalizing on the shortage by selling them way over their recommended price
Hi man, ty for the tutorial. I have a question, does the DNS only work for WiFi connections or, for example, does it also work for my desktop computer that is connected via Ethernet cable?
Hi Michael, really good and informative video! But isn't it dangerous to store your network password (or any password for that matter) in plain text in a .txt file and not have it encrypted? Thank you for the vod!
@@MichaelKlements Pressing Ctrl+Shift+X while in the raspberry pi imager gives you advanced options to configure ssh access and wireless access without having to create/edit the image files. Save you a few steps
Thanks for the tutorial! The only problem now is actually finding a Zero W to use for it :) Any reason you opted for wireless vs wired (with an ethernet attachment)? Have you experienced any notable decrease in speeds or WiFi connectivity issues after installing?
I don't have an USB Ethernet dongle, so tried with the WiFi connection and it has worked really well. I haven't had any issues with it or noticed any decrease in internet speed since installing it. The DNS lookup portion of a page load is miiliseconds, so even if the wireless connection is half as fast as wired, you likely won't notice the extra 50-100 or so milliseconds added to the load speed.
@@MichaelKlements Could you make a follow-up video on how to connect an Ethernet adapter to a Raspberry Pi Zero? Also, do you agree with my view that the Raspberry Pi Zero W is the best option for this type of project? It seems like the other Raspberry Pi models are overkill, especially when you consider the cost and power consumption for something as simple as running a DNS server.
Great short video and gets to the point. I was successful in setting up my pi-hole, but after few days I was not able to login to my pi zero...(reinstalled the OS again and setup for SSH...then my Putty just shows inactive of pi zero and aborts...)
Also, some internet company who provides 2.4 and 5 GHz...may actually be more troublesome because you can't block both...and pi zero does not work on 5 GHz...
What SD card are you using? I've seen a couple of people say that their Pi-holes ran for a few days or weeks and then froze or crashed due to failure of the SD card.
@@madeautonomous - I would personally not use a wireless connection to do this. Spend an extra $10 to get a Pi 3 or 4 and connect a CAT 6 cable from your router to the Pi-hole device. It'll cut your latency for every (of thousands) of DNS queries by two-thirds or more.
Great video, thank-you. What is the process to enhance and update the block lists? The Pi is only as effective as the currency and completeness of the block lists used and there doesn't seem to be a lot of info on where to get block lists to beef up one's Pi-hole.
You just need to go to settings in the UI and you can add and remove lists there. It's as simple as pasting the web address for the new list and clicking save. Lists are auto-updated every Sunday morning by default. There are loads of forums which provide resources for additional lists and recommendations, the Pi-hole Reddit group is a good place to start.
@@MichaelKlements - Thank you for your reply. I've seen references to installing a database on the Pi to handle the blacklists etc. so wasn't sure how complex it is. Waiting for my hardware to arrive now and I'm sure it'll all come clear once I actually start playing with it. Thank you again for your efforts.
Any hints on getting ads blocked better on IOS and MacOS devices? I've set my Pihole as the DNS server, but doesn't block very well. Seems like there's something about IOS and MacOS that makes Pihole less efficient. I've got mine installed on my Pi 4. It's a waste of a Pi, but I do like Pihole a lot.
You can set one up on any network that allows you to manage the DNS settings. The Pi doesn't have to have WiFi, it just needs to be on the same network.
Hi Michael great video and thank you for sharing. My network consists of a virgin hub 3 modem and a Archer A7 router connected by ethernet cable. I am assuming I need to change my DNS settings on the Virgin router and Archer router A7. I am assuming I do not need to change any setting on devices connecting to the Wi Fi from the Archer router A7.
Thanks John! You'd most likely need to update the DNS settings in your virgin hub 3 modem - but this depends on how your network is set up. Yes, if you modify the DNS settings in your modem then this will be applied to all devices accessing the internet through this modem, you don't need to do it on the devices as well.
@@MichaelKlements awesome! Thank you. I think I’m actually going to go for the Pi 400, after doing some more research. Could use it for other things as well.
Great helpful video! Really easy to follow, but I found out my Xfinity modem/router won't let me change DNS, is there a work around besides using my own modem?
You can set the DNS at device level. It’s a lot more effort but is a work-around in this case. So point each device (iPhone, computer etc) to the Pi for its DNS
Hey, thanks for the video, but you are missing a direct link to the wpa_supplicant text file in the video description. Had to jump through some hoops to find it on your personal website, it would be better in the description!
Yes, you'll need to run a USB cable between the router and the Pi to power it. Some router's supply enough power through this port to power a Pi and some don't. So it doesn't always work.
Hi Michael. I got everything to work so far but it seems like my moderm/router does not allow me to change any DNS settings. this is true with the service provider i have. Is there another way to get around this without buying another router? Can I manually adjust my dns server on my devices (iphone) so it can get a connection from the raspberryPi and not the moderm/router? Thank you
Hi KA Photography, Yeah, some service providers lock certain settings in their routers, so you can't make the required changes. Yes, you can adjust your DNS settings at device level, just point your iPhone to your Pi-hole as the DNS server. This is a bit more effort to set up and obviously isn't automatic for new devices joining the network, but it is a workable solution.
@@MichaelKlements well.. not so many OSes are able to install on Pi Zero and pi-hole after that ) In fact, only Raspian is a good choice (and some old ubuntu servers) imho. But I've got your point
The OS I’m referring to is on your device which you’re using to access your wifi (like your phone or iPad). The dns server is set on each of these, not on the Pi-hole. If you can access your router then changing anything in Pi-hole isn’t going to help.
I have a question. If all traffic is being routed through the Pi, isn't that going to seriously effect the speed and bandwidth.? I have a gigabit internet connection, what speed will I get once PiHole is installed?
Traffic isn't routed through the Pi. The DNS address is requested from the Pi and the Pi then provides the address or blocks it (a couple of kb), traffic still runs directly between the device and your router.
There is definitely a difference, but you're talking about 5 milliseconds or so on the WiFi and maybe 0.5 milliseconds on Ethernet. I doubt that a couple of thousandths of a second would make much difference for most people who would be using Pi-hole for web browsing, streaming etc.
Yes it should be US. The Pi only has 2.4Ghz WiFi, that may be something to check. Also check that the SSID and password are correct, they're also case and space sensitive.
FYI for anyone doing this in 2024: the raspberry pi installer now has options to add wifi settings and enable ssh when flashing the OS on your microSD card. Makes the process a tiny bit more convenient :)
@@JMJMJM978 Yes, can confirm, super easy
this video's ads are the last ads I'll ever watch again!
No you won't. Pi-hole does not block youtube ads because these are shown through the same video stream link from where the video is being streamed. Try U-origin.
@@LighteningOne brave browser, on any device ;)
@@TF12191 or TH-cam Vanced
lol, lmao
@@LighteningOne😢
This is a model for how all tech setup videos should be done. Excellent video Michael, thank you.
Thank you for the great feedback!
About 3 years too late, but this is how every technical video should be. Excellent work, subscribed.
Instantly subscribed. This is the first video I have seen from you and it was precisely the kind of video audiences wants. NO beating around the bush, cut to the chase, focused tutorial. Keep up the good work mate.
Thank you for the great feedback!
I tried at least 6 tutorials before bumping into your tutorial. Those two files to add to the partition boot was missing in all of the 6 tutorials I watched. I was not able to make it to work. Now is working like a charm.
That's great to hear, enjoy your Pi-hole!
Great tutorial. Good pace, no extraneous content (bullsh1t) . Precise and to the point. Your my number one Pi source now.
Thanks Barry!
Thanks for a great guide, just got mine running. Easy as a pi.
Great tutorial. Thank you! Was super simple and worked flawlessly!
I set a music sserver and pi holle on my 0..no issues works great.
Ok I will also do that than.
It works! But some ads still come through, so I hope you have tutorials for this also ( to add more domains on the blocklist etc )
Thanks, I set everything up in roughly half an hour following your guide. I used an old 8GB microSD, and I can confirm that it's enough for the purpose.
That’s great!
Thank you so much i was wondering since i heard 4 should also be enough and in the video he says 16. Im gonna buy a bunch of 8 GBs now
just wanted to say thanks and give a heads up on an issue I had for others. some provided gateways from ISPs will not let you change the DNS server in their settings and the DNS server is actually hardcoded in the gateway. you can get around this by changing the preferred DNS server in each of your device's settings or I have read you can also use the raspberry pi built-in DHCP server to get around it(haven't tried this).
Thanks for the tip!
This is correct. I have used a Huawei B593 4G modem/router with a firmware that did not allow for changing the DNS. So I did it manually on the devices used in the network and it worked fine. Just meant going around and finding all the phones/tablets/laptops around the house.
Thanks I was looking for this , can’t wait for my pi zero w to arrive
Setting a static ip is SUPER IMPORTANT. I didn't do that first time and my router thought my mac mini and pi were the same person and immediately took down my access to the internet.
Yes you really need to set a fixed IP address for a Pi-hole.
@@MichaelKlements and how do you do that? Can you set up a static even if your internet provider doesnt allow
The best part is that they named it "pi hole" god I hope that never changes.
It won't show up on my network at all.
Thanks for the great instructions. It has worked perfectly for me.
That’s great Tim!
BTW Michael thank you for the tutorial. very straight to the point and easy to understand.
Works great thank you for all your advice, your a star.
Amazing work Michael, thank you for making this process so simple to understand
Glad it was useful to you!
very easy to follow thanks!
this works so good! thanks dude
Amazing tutorial, thank you so much!
Thank you very much for your time creating this easy to follow video!
Thanks for the great feedback, glad you managed to get yours running!
Best tutorial out there👍
That was very helpful. Thank you !!! One thing I may have missed and needed to look up elsewhere was how to change the passord supplied for the pihole. This is done via the ssh command line and "pihole -a -p (password)".
Thanks for the tip, I'll add this to the blog post.
Thanks!!
i couldn't find out which text that was.
very good tutorial thank you!
My Pi zero w is on the way!
Ended up doing it with a different pi zero w case that was clear and made it look cool
Maybe you needed a wifi antenna?
Thanks mate great guide!
thank you so much
Really helpful, thank you!
The irony of the mid rolls in this tutorial...
It is so you can check if your Pi Hole works ;)
but pihole doesn't block video youtube ads since its from same domain
*Thank You.*
Noice! I saw a few tutorials to make a PiHole out of a 3, etc., but wondered if I could just do it on a 0W. You answered that question, thanks!
Definitely give it a try!
Great tutorial!
Just done it will test now :-)
Thanks, very helpful
I took a shot every time I heard "raspberry pah", and now I'm soosafjasfja drruuuuahfnnnk
thanks for tutorial
Thanks a lot! Easy to follow. I totally dig the written piece to go along with the video as well. Liked & subcribed. :D
Thank you, glad you find it useful!
thanks man
Can confirm this will work on a pi 1, and I used a ethernet cable and just skipped the wireless.txt part. also have it plugged into the modem, everything seems to be working just fine.
Fantastic video, thanks a lot! Neat and to the point.
Small side note: There's plain text credentials visible at 7:06, you might want to blur that or something.
Thank you! The credentials were all just generated for this tutorial video, I don't use this setup on my netowrk.
properly explain how to make the ssh file, does not show the extension to be able to delete it.
got my pi hole running as a docker container inside open media vault , works great just use the raspberry pie ip and port that specified to access the web gui, the reason i like this is one pi 4 runs a mini nas, pi-hole and is my torrent box :P
Great idea Lorenzo! Docker is great for creating multi-function Pi's, especially for network applications.
Protip: After choosing image and storage in the imager, press ctrl+shift+x to set up ssh and wlan.
I'll definitely give that a try, thank you!
yea i think thats the issue that im running in to because i cant ssh from putty
My next project, but currently evaluating whether Pi-hole, or Adguard Home is the best choice. So many opinions on which is better. So far the edge seems to be for Adguard...
No problem to use a smaller SD card than 16Gb. Rpi OS lite and PiHole only takes up 3 Gb..
I heard you have to think about the log files that will be created. ofc you can define how long logs are kept and whether you want to log in the first place. if you accept recommended options during the configuration the pi will log ... a lot ...
Seeing Ads isn't a bad thing however when an App has Ads it pisses me off cause it's using my bandwidth so i don't like it
But i won't be bothered if i see Ads on a website i browse cause i know i'm supporting them
THANKYOU SIR!
Why it don't block TH-cam ads on Android and laptop even after I set up the DNS
Configuration but it works on speed test
very nice, very clear. Thanks so much.
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for the clear tutorial. Will an 8 GB SD card be enough?
16GB is usually recommended by you might be able to use an 8GB with an install of Raspberry Pi OS Lite
Thanks Michael! This was a great vid to follow up on!
I think if I leave some secondary dns it should be a good backup in the rare case the pi doesn't come up, right?
Yes if your router allows for it that'll be good. Just be aware that some routers just use the two interchangeably, so it doesn't try the primary and if that fails it tries the secondary, it just sends some requests to the primary and some to the secondary.
@@MichaelKlements Thanks for the extra info!
Fantastic tutorial. Do you know where we can get South Africa black list or regex
how did I get here?? I searched... Thanksgiving Pecan Pie and I got this video....
j/k thanks for the video :D
Haha - the rabbit hole that is TH-cam
Hi man , much appreciated
Any new updates March 2024 on the topic?
good tutorial... did all this just to find my internet supplier (optus) blocks the DNS customise feature. otherwise would work perfectly!
That's frustrating!
can i use the new RISC-V mango as an addblocker?
awesome
Thanks man. Was thinking about getting the pi 4 but the pricing is stupid in my country. Around 120USD for 4GB and almost 200USD for the 8GB version
They've become really expensive around the world, unfortunately re-sellers are capitalizing on the shortage by selling them way over their recommended price
Hi man, ty for the tutorial. I have a question, does the DNS only work for WiFi connections or, for example, does it also work for my desktop computer that is connected via Ethernet cable?
Can anyone confirm if this blocks youtube ads on Smart TVs?
Just heard they are bumping it up to 5 ads...
This won't block TH-cam ads as they're served from their own servers.
Hi Michael, really good and informative video! But isn't it dangerous to store your network password (or any password for that matter) in plain text in a .txt file and not have it encrypted? Thank you for the vod!
The Pi deletes this file after first boot, so it's not actually left in the boot directory as a .txt file afterwards
@@MichaelKlements Ahhhhhhhh smart! Thank you!
@@MichaelKlements Pressing Ctrl+Shift+X while in the raspberry pi imager gives you advanced options to configure ssh access and wireless access without having to create/edit the image files. Save you a few steps
Thanks for the tutorial! The only problem now is actually finding a Zero W to use for it :)
Any reason you opted for wireless vs wired (with an ethernet attachment)? Have you experienced any notable decrease in speeds or WiFi connectivity issues after installing?
I don't have an USB Ethernet dongle, so tried with the WiFi connection and it has worked really well. I haven't had any issues with it or noticed any decrease in internet speed since installing it.
The DNS lookup portion of a page load is miiliseconds, so even if the wireless connection is half as fast as wired, you likely won't notice the extra 50-100 or so milliseconds added to the load speed.
@@MichaelKlements Could you make a follow-up video on how to connect an Ethernet adapter to a Raspberry Pi Zero? Also, do you agree with my view that the Raspberry Pi Zero W is the best option for this type of project? It seems like the other Raspberry Pi models are overkill, especially when you consider the cost and power consumption for something as simple as running a DNS server.
This work with the pi-zero w 2?
you can actually configure wpa_config in Raspberry Imager just before flashing OS to your sdcard, it's way more user-friendly :)
as well as ssh
Yes, you can now. This option wasn't around in imager when I originally made this video.
Great short video and gets to the point.
I was successful in setting up my pi-hole, but after few days I was not able to login to my pi zero...(reinstalled the OS again and setup for SSH...then my Putty just shows inactive of pi zero and aborts...)
Also, some internet company who provides 2.4 and 5 GHz...may actually be more troublesome because you can't block both...and pi zero does not work on 5 GHz...
What SD card are you using? I've seen a couple of people say that their Pi-holes ran for a few days or weeks and then froze or crashed due to failure of the SD card.
@@madeautonomous - I would personally not use a wireless connection to do this. Spend an extra $10 to get a Pi 3 or 4 and connect a CAT 6 cable from your router to the Pi-hole device. It'll cut your latency for every (of thousands) of DNS queries by two-thirds or more.
@@WakeUpAmerican000s you know, or a dongle....
Great video, thank-you. What is the process to enhance and update the block lists? The Pi is only as effective as the currency and completeness of the block lists used and there doesn't seem to be a lot of info on where to get block lists to beef up one's Pi-hole.
You just need to go to settings in the UI and you can add and remove lists there. It's as simple as pasting the web address for the new list and clicking save. Lists are auto-updated every Sunday morning by default.
There are loads of forums which provide resources for additional lists and recommendations, the Pi-hole Reddit group is a good place to start.
@@MichaelKlements - Thank you for your reply. I've seen references to installing a database on the Pi to handle the blacklists etc. so wasn't sure how complex it is. Waiting for my hardware to arrive now and I'm sure it'll all come clear once I actually start playing with it. Thank you again for your efforts.
Any hints on getting ads blocked better on IOS and MacOS devices? I've set my Pihole as the DNS server, but doesn't block very well. Seems like there's something about IOS and MacOS that makes Pihole less efficient. I've got mine installed on my Pi 4. It's a waste of a Pi, but I do like Pihole a lot.
Thanks for your work. Do you know if your instruction can also be used for a Rasperry Pi 1?
Yes you can run Pihole on the original Raspberry Pi as well
@@MichaelKlements , you are right thats what i also found out but thanks for for answering!
Is the W version required or can I run this the the pi zero 1.3 and an ethernet adapter?
You can run it on a Pi Zero with a connected Ethernet adaptor, you don't have to use WiFi.
Can I make a pi hole on a wireless network such as a Verizon jet pack using a pi zero or will I need a pi with Wi-Fi capabilities
You can set one up on any network that allows you to manage the DNS settings. The Pi doesn't have to have WiFi, it just needs to be on the same network.
Hi Michael great video and thank you for sharing. My network consists of a virgin hub 3 modem and a Archer A7 router connected by ethernet cable. I am assuming I need to change my DNS settings on the Virgin router and Archer router A7. I am assuming I do not need to change any setting on devices connecting to the Wi Fi from the Archer router A7.
Thanks John! You'd most likely need to update the DNS settings in your virgin hub 3 modem - but this depends on how your network is set up. Yes, if you modify the DNS settings in your modem then this will be applied to all devices accessing the internet through this modem, you don't need to do it on the devices as well.
Is the Zero W still the best one to use? They're going for like $75 used on eBay now. Figured I might as well get a more recent model at that price..
This will run on most Raspberry Pi's available at the moment - Pi 3, Pi 4, Zero and Zero 2 are all good for this project.
@@MichaelKlements awesome! Thank you. I think I’m actually going to go for the Pi 400, after doing some more research. Could use it for other things as well.
@@MichaelKlements also thanks for the video! Subscribed to your channel :)
wait! does it need to connect to router via ethernet? or will it use wifi?
This uses WiFi, no Ethernet required
What did you use to plug the as card into the computer
Sd*
Just a small micro sd card reader that came with a 3D printer of mine.
If I am connecting it with an Ethernet cable will I need to add the extra config file and SSH file?
You'll still need to add the SSH file, but won't need the config file.
@@MichaelKlements okay, thanks
Can you add multiple SSID's to the conf file?
Not that I'm aware of
Do we need to set firewall rules to make it more secure?
This doesn't change or enhance your network security at all, if you were using a firewall before then you should continue after installing this.
Is it possible todo this with usb to ethernet adapter?
Yes you can add a USB Ethernet adpator to it if you'd like to
Great helpful video! Really easy to follow, but I found out my Xfinity modem/router won't let me change DNS, is there a work around besides using my own modem?
You can set the DNS at device level. It’s a lot more effort but is a work-around in this case. So point each device (iPhone, computer etc) to the Pi for its DNS
I've literally done this exact thing like 4 times and no matter what pi image i put on my cd card, when i ssh in it doesn't like the password.
same here. Do you got it working without setting it up on a keyboard, mouse and desktop. I think thats the only way to reset the pw..sadly
Goed zo
Hey, thanks for the video, but you are missing a direct link to the wpa_supplicant text file in the video description. Had to jump through some hoops to find it on your personal website, it would be better in the description!
what connection does this use., via WIFI or LAN CABLE?
WiFi
Dose this work with a windows 10 pc for set up I live in Australia
If you set this up through your router then it'll block ads across all devices on the network regardless of the OS.
Towards the end you mentioned the USB from the router may/may not power the pi. Do I not need the supplied power cord?
Yes, you'll need to run a USB cable between the router and the Pi to power it. Some router's supply enough power through this port to power a Pi and some don't. So it doesn't always work.
Hi Michael. I got everything to work so far but it seems like my moderm/router does not allow me to change any DNS settings. this is true with the service provider i have. Is there another way to get around this without buying another router? Can I manually adjust my dns server on my devices (iphone) so it can get a connection from the raspberryPi and not the moderm/router? Thank you
Hi KA Photography,
Yeah, some service providers lock certain settings in their routers, so you can't make the required changes. Yes, you can adjust your DNS settings at device level, just point your iPhone to your Pi-hole as the DNS server. This is a bit more effort to set up and obviously isn't automatic for new devices joining the network, but it is a workable solution.
@@MichaelKlements thank you for the great video it works great so far 🙌🏼.
Is pi zero still good in 2024? I will only use it for pihole
would i be able to do this using a raspberry pi pico ?? for a small network with 5 users and under 20 devices
The Pico is a microcontroller, it doesn't run an operating system and so can't run something like Pi-hole
It would be great to add couple of words to this video about setting a static IP with using OS only. 'cause some time user has no access to a router.
The problem is that almost every platform has a different process to configure the DNS. It’s usually a quick google search though.
@@MichaelKlements well.. not so many OSes are able to install on Pi Zero and pi-hole after that ) In fact, only Raspian is a good choice (and some old ubuntu servers) imho. But I've got your point
The OS I’m referring to is on your device which you’re using to access your wifi (like your phone or iPad). The dns server is set on each of these, not on the Pi-hole. If you can access your router then changing anything in Pi-hole isn’t going to help.
connection refused?? what do I do?
does it works the same with the classic raspberry pi 0 with a wifi adapter?
Yes it will, although if you're adding an adapter then you should try get an Ethernet one rather, its just a bit more robust and reliable.
How do these instruction change when working on a Mac? I am having trouble with the wpa_supplicant part and changing it to .conf
It shouldn't change. You'll just need to make sure that your computer settings as such that it is not hiding the file extension.
I have a question. If all traffic is being routed through the Pi, isn't that going to seriously effect the speed and bandwidth.? I have a gigabit internet connection, what speed will I get once PiHole is installed?
Traffic isn't routed through the Pi. The DNS address is requested from the Pi and the Pi then provides the address or blocks it (a couple of kb), traffic still runs directly between the device and your router.
is there any difference on latency btw the wired and the Wireless Pi-Zero ?
There is definitely a difference, but you're talking about 5 milliseconds or so on the WiFi and maybe 0.5 milliseconds on Ethernet. I doubt that a couple of thousandths of a second would make much difference for most people who would be using Pi-hole for web browsing, streaming etc.
If the SSID is A apple 1, should it be just that inside the quotes or should it be "A_apple_1" ????
Yes it should be US. The Pi only has 2.4Ghz WiFi, that may be something to check. Also check that the SSID and password are correct, they're also case and space sensitive.