Written 4 Sep 2026. This is a how-to, not a product card.

Keep Pi-hole updated

Weekly apt does not refresh Pi-hole. Update the software and the block lists on the old PC so ads stay gone. You don't need a new Raspberry Pi.

Haven't installed the house ad block yet? Start with the first useful thing. This note assumes Pi-hole is already answering DNS for the house. The weekly OS fixes on keep the computer updated are still worth doing. They just don't replace these two Pi-hole jobs.

Skip until ads already drop

If phones still show banners and you never finished install or router DNS, fix that first. Brand menus: point common home routers at Pi-hole. If ads came back after a good week, start with when ads come back before you treat updates as the only fix.

What this is

Two separate jobs. One updates Pi-hole itself (core, web, FTL). The other refreshes gravity, the combined block list it uses to skip ad names. The usual curl installer from pi-hole.net does not put Pi-hole under apt the way nano is. So sudo apt upgrade can leave an old Pi-hole sitting there while the OS looks current.

See what you have

From the couch, SSH into the computer. Then:

pihole -v

You should see lines for Pi-hole core, AdminLTE (or the web UI name your version prints), and FTL. If the command is missing, Pi-hole is not installed on this login path. Go back to the first useful thing.

Update Pi-hole

Still in that SSH window:

pihole -up

Let it finish. It may ask to continue. Say yes. A short DNS blip on the house is normal while FTL restarts. Keep the SSH session open. Don't yank power mid-update.

When it ends, check versions again:

pihole -v

Then:

pihole status

You want FTL running and blocking enabled. Open http://pi.hole/admin (or the computer's address plus /admin) on a laptop and confirm the dashboard loads.

Refresh the block lists

pihole -up often refreshes gravity for you. Once a week, or when ads creep back while status still looks healthy, run gravity on its own:

pihole -g

That re-downloads the lists you already enabled and rebuilds the big skip table. It can take a minute on a slow disk. When it finishes, load a few sites on a phone that uses house DNS. Ads should still be gone. If one bank or streamer broke, that is when a site won't load after Pi-hole, not a reason to skip updates forever.

Prefer the SSH commands for a first habit. The admin page under Tools can update gravity too. Same job, different door.

How often

Once a week is enough for most houses. Pair it with the apt habit on keep the computer updated: OS first, then pihole -up when that is boring. Skip a daily ritual. Skip hunting extra block lists until the default set has been quiet for a while.

What this is not

This is not a reason to buy a Raspberry Pi, a second box, or a “Pi-hole appliance.” It is not opening the admin page to the internet. It is not Unbound, Docker, or a full reinstall. If the computer itself is off or soft-off, wake or power it first: is it still on? or wake the computer from the house network.

What next

After an update, see what Pi-hole blocked so the log still moves. Confirm the three house jobs still work: after a reboot, check the computer still does its jobs (even if you did not reboot). Keep the weekly OS habit: keep the computer updated. If only one phone still shows banners, see when one phone still shows ads. Change the printed admin password if you have not: change the printed Pi-hole admin password. Before a scary reinstall or a big list change, save a Pi-hole backup.

Skip

• Skip treating apt upgrade as a Pi-hole update.
• Skip buying a new Pi “because updates feel scary.”
• Skip opening the admin UI past the house network.
• Skip stacking a dozen third-party lists on day one.
• Skip this until Pi-hole already blocks ads for the house.