# How do I use Pi-hole's built in DHCP server (and why would I want to)?

**URL:** <https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-do-i-use-pi-holes-built-in-dhcp-server-and-why-would-i-want-to/3026>\
**Category:** FAQs\
**Created:** [May 9, 2017, 1:19am UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-do-i-use-pi-holes-built-in-dhcp-server-and-why-would-i-want-to/3026 "2017-05-09T01:19:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![pled](https://discourse-cdn.pi-hole.net/user_avatar/discourse.pi-hole.net/pled/32/20352_2.png) [@pled](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/pled)\
**Post date:** [December 13, 2020, 5:46pm UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-do-i-use-pi-holes-built-in-dhcp-server-and-why-would-i-want-to/3026/24 "2020-12-13T17:46:19Z")

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Hi there, may be a stupid question, but if I activate Pihole DHCP server AND disable Router DHCP (because I am not allowed to change DNS on ISP router), then my Pihole server cannot restart (or at least is not accessible from network).  
I guess I need first to assign static IP address to Pihole machine ? IS that correct ?  
My Pihole runs on raspberry 4 (raspbian) side by side with volumio. What is the simplest way to achieve that ?  
Thank you.

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**Author:** ![yubiuser](https://discourse-cdn.pi-hole.net/user_avatar/discourse.pi-hole.net/yubiuser/32/12100_2.png) [@yubiuser](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/yubiuser)\
**Post date:** [December 13, 2020, 6:39pm UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-do-i-use-pi-holes-built-in-dhcp-server-and-why-would-i-want-to/3026/25 "2020-12-13T18:39:37Z")

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> [@pled](#):
>
> My Pihole runs on raspberry 4 (raspbian) side by side with volumio. What is the simplest way to achieve that ?

[https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/configuration/tcpip/](https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/configuration/tcpip/)

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**Author:** ![pled](https://discourse-cdn.pi-hole.net/user_avatar/discourse.pi-hole.net/pled/32/20352_2.png) [@pled](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/pled)\
**Post date:** [December 15, 2020, 9:47am UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-do-i-use-pi-holes-built-in-dhcp-server-and-why-would-i-want-to/3026/26 "2020-12-15T09:47:54Z")

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Thanks, perfect !

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**Author:** ![Situstarget](https://discourse-cdn.pi-hole.net/user_avatar/discourse.pi-hole.net/situstarget/32/20526_2.png) [@Situstarget](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/Situstarget)\
**Post date:** [December 30, 2020, 6:17am UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-do-i-use-pi-holes-built-in-dhcp-server-and-why-would-i-want-to/3026/27 "2020-12-30T06:17:32Z")

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Can I activate DHCP server on my Ubuntu VPS not Raspberry PI?

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**Author:** ![226cenk](https://discourse-cdn.pi-hole.net/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/2/5daacb/32.png) [@226cenk](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/226cenk)\
**Post date:** [December 31, 2020, 5:45pm UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-do-i-use-pi-holes-built-in-dhcp-server-and-why-would-i-want-to/3026/28 "2020-12-31T17:45:37Z")

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The problem is that my pihole instance is hosted by Linode and is not local, my router wouldn't be able to locate it automatically. How would I go about doing this with an external server?

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**Author:** ![DanSchaper](https://discourse-cdn.pi-hole.net/user_avatar/discourse.pi-hole.net/danschaper/32/91_2.png) [@DanSchaper](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/DanSchaper)\
**Post date:** [January 1, 2021, 3:51am UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-do-i-use-pi-holes-built-in-dhcp-server-and-why-would-i-want-to/3026/29 "2021-01-01T03:51:03Z")

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DHCP uses broadcast addresses, it only works on the segment that Pi-hole is connected to directly. A router in between Pi-hole and the client breaks the broadcast domain and you'd have to use something like a DHCP helper or relay on the router to connect the segments.

A DHCP server located across a WAN link is a really bad idea.

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**Author:** ![ticknert](https://discourse-cdn.pi-hole.net/user_avatar/discourse.pi-hole.net/ticknert/32/25815_2.png) [@ticknert](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/ticknert)\
**Post date:** [June 21, 2021, 3:17pm UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-do-i-use-pi-holes-built-in-dhcp-server-and-why-would-i-want-to/3026/30 "2021-06-21T15:17:52Z")

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I have DHCP enabled on the raspberry pi running pi-hole in docker. Everything seems to be working correctly, though I do not have the router DNS server pointed at the raspberry pi.

So, to confirm, do I need to set the router DNS address to the raspberry pi IP address when pi-hole is running as the DHCP server?

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**Author:** ![DanSchaper](https://discourse-cdn.pi-hole.net/user_avatar/discourse.pi-hole.net/danschaper/32/91_2.png) [@DanSchaper](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/DanSchaper)\
**Post date:** [June 21, 2021, 8:03pm UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-do-i-use-pi-holes-built-in-dhcp-server-and-why-would-i-want-to/3026/31 "2021-06-21T20:03:01Z")

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Shouldn't need to. What isn't working with the current setup?

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**Author:** ![ticknert](https://discourse-cdn.pi-hole.net/user_avatar/discourse.pi-hole.net/ticknert/32/25815_2.png) [@ticknert](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/ticknert)\
**Post date:** [June 21, 2021, 8:23pm UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-do-i-use-pi-holes-built-in-dhcp-server-and-why-would-i-want-to/3026/32 "2021-06-21T20:23:20Z")

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Pi-hole is working great! I just wanted to confirm that if using the Pi-hole for DHCP, I do not also need to configure the DNS server on my router. I asked because I don't know where the 'router responsibility' stops and the 'pi-hole responsibility' starts (devices 'physically' connect to the router but then the pi-hole does everything else?).

I didn't see it stated explicitly in the docs that if the Pi-hole DHCP service is enabled, then the Pi-hole is also acting as the server DNS automatically, and the DNS configuration on the router is not needed.

Hopefully this response here can help someone else with the same question. Thanks Dan!

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**Author:** ![DanSchaper](https://discourse-cdn.pi-hole.net/user_avatar/discourse.pi-hole.net/danschaper/32/91_2.png) [@DanSchaper](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/DanSchaper)\
**Post date:** [June 21, 2021, 10:46pm UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-do-i-use-pi-holes-built-in-dhcp-server-and-why-would-i-want-to/3026/33 "2021-06-21T22:46:15Z")

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There's a tool in `pihole-FTL` that will show what your DHCP clients are seeing:

`pihole-FTL dhcp-discover`

If the DNS server IP is only Pi-hole then it should be fine. You don't want to see another IP or Pi-hole AND another IP.

If all of your clients are being addressed by DHCP and there is only the Pi-hole as DHCP server then the clients would be getting the correct leases.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ticknert](https://discourse-cdn.pi-hole.net/user_avatar/discourse.pi-hole.net/ticknert/32/25815_2.png) [@ticknert](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/ticknert)\
**Post date:** [June 22, 2021, 11:28am UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-do-i-use-pi-holes-built-in-dhcp-server-and-why-would-i-want-to/3026/34 "2021-06-22T11:28:57Z")

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Oh cool, I will check that out! Thanks again!

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**Author:** ![jfb](https://discourse-cdn.pi-hole.net/user_avatar/discourse.pi-hole.net/jfb/32/4332_2.png) [@jfb](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/jfb)\
**Post date:** [June 29, 2021, 2:24am UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-do-i-use-pi-holes-built-in-dhcp-server-and-why-would-i-want-to/3026/35 "2021-06-29T02:24:43Z")

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6 posts were split to a new topic: [DHCP settings for ASUS router](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/dhcp-settings-for-asus-router/47890)

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**Author:** ![DanSchaper](https://discourse-cdn.pi-hole.net/user_avatar/discourse.pi-hole.net/danschaper/32/91_2.png) [@DanSchaper](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/DanSchaper)\
**Post date:** [June 29, 2021, 3:22am UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-do-i-use-pi-holes-built-in-dhcp-server-and-why-would-i-want-to/3026/36 "2021-06-29T03:22:19Z")

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A post was merged into an existing topic: [DHCP settings for ASUS router](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/dhcp-settings-for-asus-router/47890/8)

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**Author:** ![un-zero](https://discourse-cdn.pi-hole.net/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/u/bcef8e/32.png) [@un-zero](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/un-zero)\
**Post date:** [November 23, 2021, 5:04pm UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-do-i-use-pi-holes-built-in-dhcp-server-and-why-would-i-want-to/3026/37 "2021-11-23T17:04:10Z")

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Just wanted to point out the excellent solution provided by [this post](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/disabling-dhcp-on-my-router-causes-no-internet-connection/25013). Just disabling my router's DHCP caused "No internet connection" on the router (and for the whole house). To fix it, in short:

- set the router's DHCP to a range of exactly one IP address: `192.168.1.2 -- 102.168.1.2` (or whatever your pi-hole address is).
- make the pi-hole DHCP's range above that one address.

Additional trick: to prevent clients from appearing as '`_gateway`' on the pi-hole, change the router DNS to e.g. `192.168.200.200` (or some other non-existent address on your local network). That way, the pi-hole's DNS is the only working DNS on your network, and all clients now reach to it directly (and thus, are identified correctly by pi-hole with their Mac and IP addresses).

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**Author:** ![Bucking\_Horn](https://discourse-cdn.pi-hole.net/user_avatar/discourse.pi-hole.net/bucking_horn/32/18719_2.png) [@Bucking\_Horn](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/Bucking_Horn)\
**Post date:** [November 30, 2021, 8:18am UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-do-i-use-pi-holes-built-in-dhcp-server-and-why-would-i-want-to/3026/38 "2021-11-30T08:18:38Z")

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A post was split to a new topic: [Host IPv4 address when Pi-hole is DHCP server](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/host-ipv4-address-when-pi-hole-is-dhcp-server/51358)

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**Author:** ![Bucking\_Horn](https://discourse-cdn.pi-hole.net/user_avatar/discourse.pi-hole.net/bucking_horn/32/18719_2.png) [@Bucking\_Horn](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/Bucking_Horn)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2023, 8:25am UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-do-i-use-pi-holes-built-in-dhcp-server-and-why-would-i-want-to/3026/39 "2023-02-26T08:25:49Z")

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A post was split to a new topic: [How can I disable my Comcast router's DHCP server](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-can-i-disable-my-comcast-routers-dhcp-server/61487)

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**Author:** ![DanSchaper](https://discourse-cdn.pi-hole.net/user_avatar/discourse.pi-hole.net/danschaper/32/91_2.png) [@DanSchaper](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/DanSchaper)\
**Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 5:21pm UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-do-i-use-pi-holes-built-in-dhcp-server-and-why-would-i-want-to/3026/40 "2023-07-30T17:21:03Z")

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A post was split to a new topic: [DHCP assigned Macbook bypassing Pi-hole](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/dhcp-assigned-macbook-bypassing-pi-hole/64189)

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**Author:** ![Bucking\_Horn](https://discourse-cdn.pi-hole.net/user_avatar/discourse.pi-hole.net/bucking_horn/32/18719_2.png) [@Bucking\_Horn](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/Bucking_Horn)\
**Post date:** [April 16, 2024, 9:19am UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-do-i-use-pi-holes-built-in-dhcp-server-and-why-would-i-want-to/3026/41 "2024-04-16T09:19:18Z")

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2 posts were split to a new topic: [Router IPv6 and Pi-hole DHCP](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/router-ipv6-and-pi-hole-dhcp/69614)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Bucking\_Horn](https://discourse-cdn.pi-hole.net/user_avatar/discourse.pi-hole.net/bucking_horn/32/18719_2.png) [@Bucking\_Horn](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/Bucking_Horn)\
**Post date:** [April 16, 2024, 9:17am UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-do-i-use-pi-holes-built-in-dhcp-server-and-why-would-i-want-to/3026/42 "2024-04-16T09:17:34Z")

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A post was split to a new topic: [Router IPv6 and Pi-hole DHCP](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/router-ipv6-and-pi-hole-dhcp/69613)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![MightyHandy](https://discourse-cdn.pi-hole.net/user_avatar/discourse.pi-hole.net/mightyhandy/32/44668_2.png) [@MightyHandy](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/MightyHandy)\
**Post date:** [March 31, 2025, 2:48pm UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-do-i-use-pi-holes-built-in-dhcp-server-and-why-would-i-want-to/3026/44 "2025-03-31T14:48:52Z")

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Sorry to necropost. But, this thread is referenced by the official pihole installation [documentation](https://github.com/pi-hole/pi-hole/?tab=readme-ov-file#one-step-automated-install) but it’s now out of date for v6. Heads up for anyone who finds themselves here.

[This](https://gist.github.com/fellipec/a22581a9c1d6faf2402c83c138bce479) is a much more up to date guide.

[Previous page](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-do-i-use-pi-holes-built-in-dhcp-server-and-why-would-i-want-to/3026.md?page=1)