AdGuard Home Ad Blocker Setup Guide

What you’ll need:

-Your AdGuard Home device (included)

-The power adapter (included)

-The Ethernet cable (included)

-A phone/tablet/computer already connected to your home network/WiFi

-Access to your home router (admin login & password)

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Step 1: Plug in and connect AdGuard

Place the AdGuard device near your router if possible (or near a network switch connected to your router).

Plug the Ethernet cable in:

-One end → into the AdGuard device

-The other end → into an open LAN port on your router (or your network switch)

-Plug in the power adapter to the AdGuard device.

-Wait 2–3 minutes for it to fully start up.

✅ At this point, AdGuard is on your network and should have an IP address from your router.

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Step 2: Find the AdGuard Home IP address on your network

You’ll need the AdGuard’s IP address to access its dashboard and to set it as your DNS server.

Option A: Check your router’s “Connected Devices” or DHCP list

Open a web browser on a device already connected to your home network or Wi-Fi.

Log into your router’s Admin portal IP address. Sometimes the Router’s IP and login info is on a sticker on the Router itself (see some common router addresses below):

http://192.168.0.1

http://192.168.1.1

http://10.0.0.1

Once logged in, look for a section like:

-Connected Devices

-Device List

-DHCP Clients

-LAN Client Status

Find the device named:

adguard

Or a “raspberry pi” device with a new IP address

Write down that IP address (for example: 192.168.1.25)

Option B: Use a computer (Windows)

On a Windows PC, press Windows Key + R on the keyboard or search CMD

-In the pop-up box Type: cmd → press Enter

-In the Command Prompt box Type: ping adguard → press Enter

-Find the “Reply From” IP (for example: 192.168.1.25) → this is your AdGuard IP

-Write down that IP address (for example: 192.168.1.25)

Option C: Use a free Network Scanning Tool

If you can’t find it in the router:

Install a free network scanning tool like Advanced IP Scanner or Angry IP Scanner

Scan your network and look for adguard or Raspberry Pi listed as a device. 

Write the IP address down.

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Step 3: Open the AdGuard dashboard (via web access)

Once you have located your AdGuard IP address on your network:

On any device connected to your network, open a web browser (Chrome, Edge, Safari).

In the browser address search bar, using the located IP address, type:

http:// YOUR AdGuard IP address:3000

(*Replacing YOUR AdGuard IP address with the located AdGuard IP address)

For example: http://192.168.1.25:3000

*You should now see the AdGuard Admin Dashboard.

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Step 4: Log into AdGuard Admin Portal

 When prompted to log in, use the AdGuard admin username & password that was provided with your device/setup paperwork. 

By default, this username is adguard and the password is password 

If you cannot locate yours, contact us via Ebay Messenger. 

✅ After logging in, you can view queries blocked, top clients, and basic settings.

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Step 5: Set your router to use your AdGuard as DNS (*most important step)

This is what makes AdGuard Ad Blocker work for your whole home network.

Router DNS Setup (General Steps)

Log into your router again using your web browser:

Again, common router IP addresses: 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1

Find the DNS settings. They’re usually under one of the below:

-Internet Settings

-WAN Settings

-LAN Settings

-DHCP Settings

Look for settings fields named:

-DNS Server

-Primary DNS

-Secondary DNS

Set the Primary DNS IP to the IP Address for your AdGuard Home:

Primary DNS → Set to AdGuard IP address

 For example: 192.168.1.25

What to use for Secondary DNS?

Best blocking (recommended): leave Secondary DNS blank (*if your router allows it)

If your router requires a secondary DNS, use the AdGuard IP again or an alternate below:

Secondary DNS → Set to AdGuard IP address, 127.0.0.1 or 0.0.0.0

⚠️ If you put an active DNS server, like Google DNS (8.8.8.8) or Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) as the Secondary DNS, some devices may bypass your AdGuard and ads may still appear.

*Save/Apply changes.

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Step 6: Prevent problems by reserving a “static” IP for your AdGuard device

If your router gives AdGuard a different IP address in the future, your DNS settings will break, and you may not be able to browse the internet.

Reserve the AdGuard IP in your router (recommended)

In your router’s settings, find:

-DHCP Reservation

-Address Reservation

-Static Lease

Select the AdGuard device and choose:

-Reserve this IP or Set Static

-Save changes.

✅ Now your AdGuard will always keep the same IP address on your network. 

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Step 7: Restart devices so they pick up the new DNS

After changing the router's DNS, it may be a good idea to restart your home devices. Laptops, Tablets, etc, so it will pull the new settings from your router.

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Step 8: Confirm AdGuard Home is working

Quick test (easy)

Go back to the AdGuard dashboard:

via http:// YOUR AdGuard IP address:3000

On the dashboard, you should see:

Queries increasing and Blocked count increasing over time

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Blocking additional domains (if needed):

If you need to manually block a domain that still shows Ads, you can do so by the following:

Log into your AdGuard admin dashboard, up top, click ‘Filters’, and then ‘DNS Blocklists’. 

Here you can ‘Add blocklist’ or ‘Check for updates’.

You can add individual domains to block or add a new pre-made blocklist.

*We have selected the best block lists available for you. Do not check all blocklists. You will cause issues with too many lists.

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Allowing additional domains (if needed):

If you need to manually allow a domain to not be blocked, you can do so by the following:

Log into your AdGuard admin dashboard, up top, click ‘Filters’, and then ‘DNS Allowlists’.

Here you can ‘Add allowlist’ or ‘Check for updates’.

You can add individual domains to allow.

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Turn off Ad Blocking for whole network (as needed):

If you need to temporarily turn off Ad blocking for your home network, do the following:

Log into your AdGuard admin dashboard, up top, click ‘Disable Protection’.

Then select the time frame you wish to disable Ad blocking for your network.

To turn Ad blocking back on, click ‘Enable Protection’.

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Common troubleshooting Issues

“AdGuard page won’t load”

Make sure you’re connected to the same home network/Wi-Fi for all devices

Confirm the AdGuard IP hasn’t changed (Step 2)

Try: http:// YOUR AdGuard IP address:3000

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“Ads still show up”

Make sure router DNS server setting is pointing to AdGuard IP Address (Step 5)

Secondary DNS may be bypassing Pi Hole (leave it blank, AdGuard IP, 127.0.0.1 or 0.0.0.0)

Restart the device (Step 7)

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“Some apps still show ads”

Some apps use built-in ad delivery services or encrypted DNS methods (DoH/DoT). Not all Ads can be or will be blocked, but a substantial portion of website Ads will be blocked. 

AdGuard Home blocks many ads, but not every in-app ad is blockable. Some streaming services may utilize different Ad injection methods, so don’t be alarmed if some Ads still come through via streaming services.

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Quick Reference Info (*record this info for future use)

Access the AdGuard Home Dashboard at: http:// YOUR AdGuard IP address:3000

Router DNS → Set Primary DNS: Your AdGuard IP Address

Router DNS → Set Secondary DNS: Your AdGuard IP, 0.0.0.0 or 127.0.0.1