Issue Accessing Network IPs with DHCP Reservation on Pi-hole and Asus Routers
Recently, you have moved your DHCP server to Pi-hole, and you have added DHCP reservations on your Asus router, which is running Merlin custom firmware. However, you are facing issues accessing network IPs.
Understanding Pi-hole and DHCP Reservation
Pi-hole is a popular open-source software that acts as a DNS server, DHCP server, and network-wide ad blocker. When you set up Pi-hole as your DHCP server, it will manage the distribution of IP addresses to devices on your network. DHCP reservation, on the other hand, is a feature that allows you to assign a static IP address to a specific device by using its MAC address.
The Issue: Inaccessible Network IPs
After moving the DHCP server to Pi-hole and adding DHCP reservations on your Asus router, you might encounter issues accessing network IPs. This problem arises because of conflicts between the DHCP servers on Pi-hole and your Asus router.
Conflicting DHCP Servers
The Asus router, with Merlin custom firmware, has a built-in DHCP server. When you add DHCP reservations on your Asus router, it does not disable the DHCP server but rather complements it. This can result in two DHCP servers operating simultaneously, leading to confusion and IP allocation conflicts.
Resolving the Issue
To resolve the issue, you need to ensure that only one DHCP server is active on your network. You can either use the DHCP server on Pi-hole or the one on your Asus router. In most cases, it is recommended to use Pi-hole as the primary DHCP server for better network-wide ad blocking and management.
Disable DHCP Server on Asus Router
To disable the DHCP server on your Asus router, follow these steps:
- Log in to your Asus router's web interface.
- Navigate to
LAN > DHCP Server. - Uncheck the
Enablebox next toDHCP Server. - Click
Applyto save the changes.
Verify DHCP Reservation Settings on Pi-hole
After disabling the DHCP server on your Asus router, ensure that the DHCP reservations are set up correctly on Pi-hole.
- Access the Pi-hole web interface.
- Go to
Settings > DHCP. - Verify that the DHCP reservations are properly configured, assigning static IPs based on MAC addresses.
- Pi-hole is a DNS server, DHCP server, and network-wide ad blocker.
- DHCP reservation allows you to assign a static IP to a device using its MAC address.
- If you encounter issues accessing network IPs after moving the DHCP server to Pi-hole and adding DHCP reservations on your Asus router, check for conflicting DHCP servers.
- Resolve the issue by disabling the DHCP server on your Asus router and verifying the DHCP reservation settings on Pi-hole.