Pi-hole or AdGuard Home for a first timer

I want to try network-wide ad blocking as my first project but I can't tell if Pi-hole or AdGuard Home is easier for someone who is shaky on Linux. I've watched videos on both and they both look simple but the people in them obviously know what they're doing.

My bigger worry is my partner working from home. If I set it up wrong, will the whole apartment lose internet? I think the router has to point at the blocker for DNS, so what happens if the blocker is off or broken? Is there a safe way to test it on just my own laptop first and how do I switch back fast if something goes wrong?

Hi @SamTinkers, I'm new too and my Pi is still in its box, so I can't say which one is easier. What I did pick up in my networking course is that DNS is like a phone book for website names. If the router points at a blocker that is off, I believe the internet link still works but sites won't load, which would feel like an outage to your partner.

@SamTinkers, @MarcusRestart has the failure mode right: the link stays up, but name lookups fail, so to your partner it looks like an outage. That's the main risk, and you can control it.

Pi-hole vs AdGuard Home: both are fine for a first project. I'd pick whichever install path you're more comfortable with (the docs for each cover a Docker install and a standard install). Either way, give the box a fixed IP or a DHCP reservation so it doesn't move.

A safe rollout order:

1. Install it and test it directly, without changing anything on the network:

dig @192.168.1.53 example.com

Use your blocker's real IP. Then query a domain from the blocklist and confirm it gets blocked.

2. Set the DNS server manually on your laptop only. Your partner's devices stay on the router's DNS.
3. Live with it for a few days.
4. Only then change the router's DHCP DNS setting. Write down the old value first, and pick a time when nobody's on a call.

Rollback: on the laptop, set DNS back to automatic. On the router, restore the noted value. Devices may keep the old DNS until their DHCP lease renews or you flush the cache, so allow a few minutes.

One trade-off to read up on: adding a public resolver as a "backup" DNS keeps things working if the blocker dies, but some queries will bypass blocking. How much does your partner's uptime matter to you compared with blocking every ad?