How to enable local host-names and not have to manually set Pi-Hole as DNS on every device on the network?

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1

Is there a configuration of Pi-Hole and Router that allows usage of host-names on the network (and host-names in the query log/dashboard) but doesn't require you to manually set the Pi-Hole as DNS on every single device in the network?

Host names work if I use the DHCP of my router and set the router as DNS on the pi-hole

but If i then were to set the Router DNS to the pi-hole I assume it would just end in a loop

If I set the Pi-Hole as DHCP, so that I don't have to manually set the Pi-Hole as DNS on every device, and set the router as DNS on the pi-hole it results in local hostnames not resolving properly and only showing up for ipv4 connections in the query-log/dashboard

I can't seem to have it all right now

2

I don't get exactly what are you saying.

My config is: DHCP on router.
All the devices in the network getting the DNS automatically from router.
In the router, the DNS address is pointing to the Pi_IPaddress.
In the PiHole console, at DNS settings, un-check the "Never forward non-FQDNs" and "Never forward reverse lookups for private IP ranges".

3

You can either set the router as the upstream DNS and on the router only hand out Pi-hole for DNS (don't use it for resolving DNS queries directed at the router).
Or, you can use Pi-hole for DHCP (you don't need to set the router as the upstream anymore).

4

I was under the impression that you had to set the router as forward DNS on the pi-hole for local hostnames (including ipv6 hostnames) to work

Cause I get a wall of new ipv6 adresses in my query log every day and can't access LAN PCs for sharing

And that's very inconvenient

5

You have IPv6 from your provider? IMO you need to assign in the router DNS fields the IPv6 address of the Pi for that too, besides the IPv4...
I don't have IPv6 enabled.

6

Yea my router only accepts ipv4 addresses for DNS and ipv6 isn't disableable on the router

I'd have to do it on all devices, besides, I like ipv6

7

So the issue remains, is there no way to retain ipv6 hostnames and not having to manually set the DNS on every device?

Because I tested

Pi-Hole DHCP -> Router Set as DNS in Pi-Hole -> Router DNS set to cloudflare
Router DHCP -> Pi-Hole set as DNS in Router -> Pi-Hole DNS set to cloudflare

Neither resolves ipv6 hostnames and I get a ipv6 mess in the query log

I always leave "Never forward non-FQDNs" & "Never forward reverse lookups for private IP ranges" disabled as well

8

I've been trying to do some research on this before posting, but unfortunately I didn't come very far.

No, using Pi-hole as your DHCP server is advantageous most of the time.

I have a few devices that query the Pi-hole over IPv6 connections. Both my Android and Blackberry devices show up using their host names in the Query Log, however, all other devices don't. To me it seems to be a matter of if they tell the local DNS server "hey, I'm reachable under host name xyz.local. Some devices seem to do this some don't. I don't think there is much to do.

I think the current best solution is: Only hand out the IPv4 address of your Pi-hole and don't even configure an IPv6 DNS server address. All devices will then make their AAAA requests over their IPv4 address and the DHCP server should know their host names. Note that you don't loose any IPv6 benefits by this as you only change the DNS server connectivity, but all your clients will be able to fully use the IPv6 Internet!

10

Is there even such an option in Windows as to not configure a IPv6 DNS server address?

It’s just gonna end up using my router as default ipv6 DNS isn’t it

11

You could perhaps configure an invalid address for the IPv6 DNS (:: for example)

12

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