Windows 10: Custom DNS set for one wifi connection constantly copied over to other networks despite DNS...

Hi all,I'm running a Win 11 laptop on the most recent version 23H2 at time of writing and I'm having issues with my laptop copying manual DNS settings I have for a single network to every other wifi network I connect to, preventing internet access.I have a pi-hole set up at home, and because of my internet provider, I have to manually set the DNS server on my wireless devices to properly route network traffic thru the pi-hole. So for my home network, and my home network only, I have set a manual DNS server assignment, and it works just fine. The problem comes when I connect my laptop to any

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PC not blocking ads despite correct DNS configuration

winver: 22H2 19045.2965

I am seeking assistance regarding a peculiar issue I've been facing with my PC's ad-blocking setup. I have set up a Pi-hole server and have correctly configured my PC's DNS settings to point to the assigned DNS of the Pi-hole server. However, despite these settings, my PC still fails to block ads.

Here are the troubleshooting steps I have already tried:

• Verified DNS Configuration: I have double-checked and confirmed that my PC's DNS settings are correctly pointing to the Pi-hole server's DNS IP address.
• Tested on Other Devices: To ensure it's not an issue with the Pi-hole server itself, I have tested ad-blocking functionality on other devices connected to the same network, such as another PC, both wired and wireless, and various cell phones. Ad-blocking works perfectly fine on these devices, confirming that the Pi-hole server is functioning as intended.
• Previous Configuration with Docker: It's worth noting that I initially had Pi-hole installed on my PC using Docker, and it worked flawlessly in that setup. However, I later switched to using a separate device (Orange 3 LTS) dedicated to running the Pi-hole server. This is when the issue with my PC not blocking ads started occurring.

Considering the steps I've taken and the fact that ad-blocking functions properly on other devices, it appears to be an isolated problem with my PC. I'm puzzled as to why the DNS configuration is not taking effect on my PC specifically.

 

DNS problems with router

A couple suggestions I have for you:

Update the firmware on the router. Maybe it's getting into a badstate, and a firmware update might fix it. Or if you're comfortable with it, install a custom firmware like dd-wrt. Just make sure its supported on your router first.

Change your DNS to: 8.8.8.8, 4.2.2.1. Might help.

If none of these work, maybe statically set your DNS on your PS3/PC to the IPs you listed, taking the router out of the lookup procedure.

Last option, is look for a new router.

 

DNS server issues w/ only one Wifi network

I've had issues accessing the internet for a while now, I've tried many steps of troubleshooting but none have worked and I'm not sure how to proceed.

My PC can connect to my home's Wifi network, but the network shows "No internet access". This Wifi network has several other devices connected to it (phones, my laptop, smart TV) that have no trouble accessing the internet -- which would make me think that the problem lies with my PC.

I tried connecting to my phone's hotspot to test if the same error occurs; my PC has no issues with internet access via the hotspot (connecting to the hotspot via Wifi, so same adapter and driver) -- which makes me think that the problem lies with my router and modem, except for the fact that none of my other devices are having issues.

When I run the Windows networking troubleshooter, it returns an error stating that the DNS server is not responding. Based on this I've tried the following troubleshooting steps with no success:

• Forgetting the Wifi network and reconnecting
  
• Resetting network settings
  
• Changing IPv4 DNS server addresses to 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4
  
• Disabling IPv6
  
• Uninstalling, then reinstalling drivers
  
• Manually updating drivers
  
• Disabling antivirus
  
• Using command prompt to reset IP and clear DNS cache
  
• Restarting my modem
  

How should I approach fixing this issue? I'm becoming quite frustrated.