BI Remote Viewing and Pi-hole

chollz

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I've been running BI for about 6 months now and am loving it. Have everything configured the way I want and it is performing great. I have the iOS app so I can login and view remote and I would also view my cameras through a browser when I was on my work desktop.

I have recently installed Pi-hole on my home network to block ads. It is now my DNS server. This has broken my remote BI viewing. I am no longer able to remote view through the app or via browser. Does anyone here have a solution for this?

My only thought is to change the DNS on my router back to default and then configure the Pi-hole DNS on a per-device basis so my BI machine will be the only machine not using Pi-hole as DNS server. Any input would be greatly appreciated!


Thank you
 

stratfordwill

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I have a pi-hole set up on my network without any problems. I'm not sure why it would cause a problem. I'm not thinking of a reason Blue Iris would use DNS lookup. Someone with more knowledge than me might know.

But I think more details are necessary. Are you port forwarding or accessing through a VPN.

I'm using a Unifi USG with a VPN.
 

chollz

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I
I have a pi-hole set up on my network without any problems. I'm not sure why it would cause a problem. I'm not thinking of a reason Blue Iris would use DNS lookup. Someone with more knowledge than me might know.

But I think more details are necessary. Are you port forwarding or accessing through a VPN.

I'm using a Unifi USG with a VPN.
I am port forwarding to access remotely.
 

stratfordwill

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are you using a dynamic dns provider? Or the built in Blue Iris dynamic dns, i.e. blueiris.pro/XXXXXXX?

Those services could be blocked and need to be whitelisted.

If you are just accessing your ip and ports directly, I'm not sure why a local network DNS server would be involved at all.

On a separate note, if you're using port forwards, I would advise you to look into a VPN. You can even put one on your pi-hole:

PiHole with OpenVPN the easy way — use PiVPN

PiVPN: Simplest setup of OpenVPN
 

TonyR

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When it was working (before Pi-Hole), were you using a DDNS hostname as your WAN address when accessing remotely on BI's iOS app?
 

stratfordwill

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Also, your pi-hole has an admin page that you can access to see what is happening when you try to view the cameras.
 

jasauders

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Also, your pi-hole has an admin page that you can access to see what is happening when you try to view the cameras.
Building on this, chollz, also keep in mind that in Pihole's admin interface you can simply disable the blocking feature for a set amount of time. Several times in the past I've been unable to access a certain location or resource. To see quickly if Pihole is playing a key role I just disable it on the left pane of the admin interface and try again. You'll have your answer pretty quickly if it's involved.

That said, I struggle to understand how Pihole would be blocking your access... but perhaps with more info from the above questions something may come to light.
 

chollz

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Thank you all for you suggestions. I have tried disabling pi-hole and it still does not work. To answer other's questions, I do not use dynamic dns provider. I am accessing my ip and port directly. I will look into setting up a VPN to access now. However, does that mean I need to flip the VPN "on" every time on my phone before I want to access my cameras remotely?
 

awsum140

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As a plus, you can avoid data charges, assuming you can connect via WiFI, by configuring the VPN cient to route all internet traffic through the VPN connection. I just spent most of the morning on my phone, WiFi connected with VPN running, alternating between watching my camera system and surfing the net, and didn't use any data on my phone's data plan. Everything went WiFi to my own home network.
 

stratfordwill

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I'm not sure what you mean when you say:

I have tried disabling pi-hole and it still does not work.
Given that your original post said this:

I have recently installed Pi-hole on my home network to block ads. It is now my DNS server. This has broken my remote BI viewing. I am no longer able to remote view through the app or via browser.
If it worked before you installed the pihole and it stopped working when you installed it, but doesn't work when you disable the pihole, is it possible that you did something else that stops it working?

Basic troubleshooting list, does the remote access work when:
1. no pihole, original dns settings in router
2. pihole installed, default settings, router points to pihole for dns
3. pihole installed, pihole disabled temporarily through web admin, router points to pihole for dns

All that said, if you are port forwarding and accessing directly by ip and port, the pihole should have no effect. It should not affect your incoming traffic.

You could try opening your web admin on the pihole to the queries page, turn the wifi off on your phone and try connecting. Refresh the queries page and see if pihole is blocking any queries. Seems unlikely given how pihole works.

On the issue of VPN, yes I have to reconnect to the VPN frequently on my iphone if I want to view blueiris. But my ipad hold the VPN connection for much longer. A side benefit is that when using my VPN remotely, I get to enjoy the benefits of the pihole since I am connecting through my own network.

If you have the equipment and ability, you should really VPN. Port forwarding is a big risk.
 

chollz

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I'm not sure what you mean when you say:



Given that your original post said this:



If it worked before you installed the pihole and it stopped working when you installed it, but doesn't work when you disable the pihole, is it possible that you did something else that stops it working?

Basic troubleshooting list, does the remote access work when:
1. no pihole, original dns settings in router
2. pihole installed, default settings, router points to pihole for dns
3. pihole installed, pihole disabled temporarily through web admin, router points to pihole for dns

All that said, if you are port forwarding and accessing directly by ip and port, the pihole should have no effect. It should not affect your incoming traffic.

You could try opening your web admin on the pihole to the queries page, turn the wifi off on your phone and try connecting. Refresh the queries page and see if pihole is blocking any queries. Seems unlikely given how pihole works.

On the issue of VPN, yes I have to reconnect to the VPN frequently on my iphone if I want to view blueiris. But my ipad hold the VPN connection for much longer. A side benefit is that when using my VPN remotely, I get to enjoy the benefits of the pihole since I am connecting through my own network.

If you have the equipment and ability, you should really VPN. Port forwarding is a big risk.
Thanks for your reply. I'll go with a VPN I think from now on.
 
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