Netgear Orbi RBK752 AX4200 tri-band mesh - local DHCP DNS setup for PiHole

[murbanski]

Hello,
I would like to have an access to the setting that allows me to setup DNS IP for my local DHCP server. I need to provide my raspberryPi's IP address as an primary DNS served from DHCP. Currently the DHCP server provides 192.168.1.1 to my clients as primary DNS which is my Orbi's IP address. Even if I change my router's DNS into Pi hole's IP then all the traffic is being passed through the main router. Therefore the only IP address I see in logs is my main Orbi router. I have had couple of routers in my life but honestly this is the first one that is so limited. I will be very happy to hear any suggestion how to enable that function. Obviously netgear does not provide any communication channel to give any feedback or suggestion.

[CrimpOn]

The Pi-hole can be the DHCP server. Turn off the DHCP option on the Orbi. 

[murbanski]

Well, this is an option. But I am still wondering why can't they add this functionality to this overpriced router?
I would really prefer to use my router as a router and not relay on any 3rd party software. My concern is that my network will stop working if anything happens to my raspberry Pi. Anything, hardware failure, maintenance, etc.

[CrimpOn]

With the Pi-hole providing DNS, anything that takes Pi-hole down takes down the whole network, whether the Orbi router is directed to use the Pi-hole or individual devices are directed to it by DHCP.  Without DNS, the network becomes unusable.  That is why users who implement Pi-hole typically have redundant Pi's.

There is a world of difference between what the engineers can do to the router and what they have decided to do.

• Offer the option for different SSIDs for 2.4G and 5G.  Nope.
• Offer an option to schedule the WiFi radios to turn on/off according to a schedule.  Nope.
• Provide usage statistics by device.  Nope.
• Offer the option to enable/disable broadcasting SSIDs.  Gone when the original Orbi was replaced by the AX products.
• Offer the ability to enable/disable features like MIMO, Fast Roaming, etc.  Gone.
• Provide a method to force devices to connect to specific access points.  Nope.
• Offer the option to enable/disable automatic firmware updates.  Nope.

I lead a pretty sheltered life, but I cannot recall ever seeing a router with the ability to configure what DNS server was specified in the DHCP contents.

[plemans]

For your devices not to contact the router first for the DNS info, you'd have to go into each individual device and change its default DNS server. Otherwise, they contact the router for the DNS ip address which gets forwarded to the pihole and then the pihole sends the address back. Its not something to change in the router or pihole but something in your devices for what you're trying to do.