--- pageType: source id: source.psb-thinking-pihole-blocker title: psb-thinking-pihole-blocker sourceType: local-file sourcePath: /home/topher/.openclaw/workspace-psb-thinking/projects/pihole-blocker.md ingestedAt: 2026-05-03T02:02:41.347Z updatedAt: 2026-05-03T02:02:41.347Z status: active growth: seed --- # psb-thinking-pihole-blocker ## Source - Type: `local-file` - Path: `/home/topher/.openclaw/workspace-psb-thinking/projects/pihole-blocker.md` - Bytes: 9252 - Updated: 2026-05-03T02:02:41.347Z ## Content ````text # Pi-hole Blocker Project **Status:** Planning / Not started **Hardware:** Seeed Studio Dual-GbE Carrier Board with 4GB RAM + 32GB eMMC (CM4) **URL:** https://www.seeedstudio.com/Dual-GbE-Carrier-Board-with-4GB-RAM-32GB-eMMC-RPi-CM4-Case-p-5029.html --- ## Decision Log ### 2026-04-04 — Initial Research **Hardware selected:** CM4 with dual GbE + eMMC (no SD card!) **Chosen approach:** Raspberry Pi OS Lite + Pi-hole (manual install) - Full control - Well-documented - eMMC more reliable than SD - Dual GbE enables passthrough or bridge mode **Rejected:** - Pre-built images (outdated, inflexible) - DietPi (good but less common for troubleshooting) - Docker (overkill for dedicated hardware) --- ## TODO (When Ready) - [ ] Flash Raspberry Pi OS Lite (64-bit) to eMMC - [ ] Enable SSH, set hostname before first boot - [ ] First boot + network config - [ ] Install Pi-hole: `curl -sSL https://install.pi-hole.net | bash` - [ ] Configure upstream DNS (Cloudflare/Google/Quad9) - [ ] Decide network mode: passthrough vs bridge vs VLAN - [ ] Point router DNS to Pi-hole IP - [ ] Test + document --- ## Network Config Notes (Dual GbE) **Goal:** Transparent filtering for entire network ### Option 1: Single Port + Router DNS Redirect (Recommended) ⭐ ``` Modem → Existing Router → Pi-hole (eth0 only) → All devices ↳ Time Machine (same port) ``` **How:** Router forces all port 53 traffic to Pi-hole IP **Pros:** - Simplest setup - Existing router handles DHCP/NAT (less to break) - Time Machine works on same network - Dual GbE not needed, but harmless **Cons:** - Devices can bypass with hardcoded DNS (8.8.8.8) - Router must support DNS redirect/forced DNS **Best for:** Most home setups, transparent operation --- ### Option 2: Bridge Mode (Dual GbE Active) ``` Router → eth0 ─┬─ Pi-hole (bridged) ─┬─ eth1 → Switch/House └─ Time Machine share ─┘ ``` **How:** Both ports bridged at OS level, Pi acts as Layer 2 device **Pros:** - All traffic passes through (harder to bypass) - Time Machine visible to all devices - Existing router still handles DHCP/NAT **Cons:** - More complex network config (bridge interfaces) - Pi becomes network dependency (if it dies, network dies) **Best for:** Maximum coverage, willing to troubleshoot bridging --- ### Option 3: Full Inline Router (Dual GbE) ``` Modem → eth0 (WAN) → Pi-hole routes/NAT → eth1 (LAN) → House ↳ Time Machine on LAN side ``` **How:** Pi replaces your router entirely **Pros:** - Complete control, can't bypass - Full firewall/NAT control - True network segmentation possible **Cons:** - Most complex (DHCP, NAT, firewall rules) - Single point of failure - Time Machine only visible to LAN side - Need to reconfigure entire network **Best for:** Advanced users, want full network control --- ## Decision Log ### 2026-04-04 — Final Decisions **Network Mode:** Option 1 — Single Port + Router DNS Redirect ⭐ - Existing router handles DHCP/NAT - Router forces DNS to Pi-hole - Time Machine on same network (no complications) - Can upgrade to bridge mode later if needed **Add-ons Confirmed:** - ✅ Pi-hole (DNS ad-blocking) - ✅ Unbound (recursive DNS, privacy) - ✅ Time Machine (Mac backups via Samba + Avahi) - ✅ Wireshark/tcpdump lab (packet capture for learning) - ❌ WireGuard — SKIP (Tailscale already covers remote access) **Location:** HOME (separate from brewery setup) **Dual GbE Verdict:** NOT overkill — enables bridge mode for packet capture learning lab 🎓 **Rejected:** - Pre-built Pi-hole images (outdated, inflexible) - DietPi (less common for troubleshooting) - Docker (overkill for dedicated hardware) - Full inline router mode (too complex for v1) - WireGuard (Tailscale = WireGuard, redundant) --- ## Learning/Lab Use Cases (Dual GbE Bonus!) ### Packet Capture & Analysis (Wireshark/tcpdump) **Bridge mode = perfect learning lab:** ``` Router → eth0 → Pi (bridged) → eth1 → House ↓ Full packet capture ``` **What you can learn:** - Wireshark filters and display rules - Protocol analysis (DNS, HTTP, SMB, etc.) - Network troubleshooting - Security analysis (spot suspicious traffic) - IoT device behavior (what's my Roomba actually doing?) **Tools to install:** - `wireshark` (GUI, needs X11/VNC) or `tshark` (CLI) - `tcpdump` (lightweight CLI capture) - `nethogs` (bandwidth by process) - `iftop` / `ntopng` (real-time traffic visualization) **Example commands:** ```bash # Capture all traffic on eth0 sudo tcpdump -i eth0 -w capture.pcap # Live DNS query monitoring sudo tshark -i eth0 -Y "dns" -T fields -e dns.qry.name # Real-time bandwidth by host sudo nethogs -t -c 5 eth0 ``` **Privacy note:** You'll see EVERYTHING on your network — passwords in plaintext (HTTP), browsing history, device fingerprints. Great for learning, serious responsibility. --- ### Other Lab Scenarios | Scenario | Setup | Learning Value | |----------|-------|----------------| | **Network segmentation** | VLANs on dual NIC | Enterprise networking | | **Firewall rules** | iptables/nftables | Security hardening | | **QoS testing** | Traffic shaping | Bandwidth management | | **MITM analysis** | ARP spoofing detection | Security awareness | | **Service monitoring** | Port scanning, service discovery | Network mapping | --- **Verdict:** Dual GbE is NOT overkill if you want a learning lab. Bridge mode + packet capture = home network university. 🎓 --- ## Add-on Modules (Optional) ### Confirmed Interest (2026-04-04) | Add-on | Purpose | Notes | |--------|---------|-------| | **Time Machine Target** | Network backup for Macs | Samba + Avahi, ~50MB RAM | | **Grafana + TILT Data** | Fermentation visualization | Pipe TILT data → InfluxDB → Grafana | | **Fire Stick Display** | Brew house monitoring screen | Display Grafana dashboard on Fire Stick | ### Architecture Clarification (2026-04-04) **Location split:** - **Pi-hole CM4:** HOME (with dual GbE) - **TILT Bridge:** BREWERY (ESP32) - **Home Assistant:** BREWERY (separate instance) - **Fire Stick:** BREWERY (display) **Implication:** TILT data already lives at brewery HA. Fire Stick should just display brewery HA directly! ### Simplified Brew House Display ``` TILT → ESP32 Bridge → Brewery HA → Fire Stick (kiosk browser) ``` **No need to pipe to home!** Fire Stick points at `http://brewery-ha:8123/lovelace/fermentation-dashboard` ### Home Pi-hole Box Add-ons (Final) | Add-on | Purpose | Priority | |--------|---------|----------| | Pi-hole | DNS ad-blocking | Core | | Unbound | Recursive DNS (privacy) | High | | Time Machine | Mac backups | High | | Wireshark/tcpdump | Packet capture lab | Medium (learning) | | Grafana (home metrics) | Network monitoring | Low (optional) | --- ## Time Machine Backup — Detailed Specs ### Requirements | Item | Details | |------|---------| | **OS** | Raspberry Pi OS Lite (any version) | | **Services** | Samba (SMB), Avahi (mDNS/Bonjour) | | **Storage** | USB drive (SSD recommended) or network share | | **RAM** | ~50MB overhead | | **CPU** | Minimal (compression is client-side) | ### How It Works ``` Mac → Bonjour discovery (Avahi) → Samba share → USB drive on Pi ``` 1. Avahi advertises `_adisk._tcp` service (Mac sees it as Time Machine destination) 2. Samba provides SMB share with Time Machine extensions 3. Mac backs up over network automatically --- ### Limitations | Limitation | Impact | Workaround | |------------|--------|------------| | **Network speed** | First backup slow (hours), subsequent faster | Use Ethernet, not WiFi | | **USB drive speed** | HDD = slow, SSD = fast | Use SSD for better experience | | **Single user** | One Mac per sparsebundle (by default) | Can configure multi-user but tricky | | **Backup size** | Limited by USB drive capacity | Use large drive (1TB+ recommended) | | **No encryption** | Backups unencrypted on disk | Enable FileVault on Mac instead | | **Pi must be on** | No backup if Pi is off | Set static IP, ensure uptime | --- ### Nice-to-Haves | Feature | Why | How | |---------|-----|-----| | **SSD storage** | 10-20× faster than HDD | USB 3.0 SSD enclosure | | **Dedicated partition** | Isolate backups from OS | Separate USB drive or partition | | **Backup quotas** | Prevent one Mac from filling drive | `tmutil` setquota per Mac | | **Auto-mount** | Survive reboots | `/etc/fstab` entry | | **Monitoring** | Alert if backup fails | HA integration or cron check | | **Multiple destinations** | Redundancy | Rotate between 2 USB drives | --- ### Setup Commands (Reference) ```bash # Install Samba + Avahi sudo apt install samba avahi-daemon # Create backup share sudo mkdir -p /srv/timemachine sudo chown nobody:nogroup /srv/timemachine sudo chmod 2777 /srv/timemachine # Configure Samba (/etc/samba/smb.conf) # Configure Avahi (/etc/avahi/services/timemachine.service) # Restart services sudo systemctl restart smbd avahi-daemon ``` --- ### Estimated Setup Time - **Fresh install:** ~30 minutes - **First Mac backup:** 2-8 hours (depends on data size) - **Subsequent backups:** 10-30 minutes (incremental) --- *Created: 2026-04-04* --- *Created: 2026-04-04* ```` ## Notes ## Related - No related pages yet.