34 votes

How to block ads like a pro

21 comments

  1. [6]
    Comment deleted by author
    Link
    1. [5]
      starchturrets
      Link Parent
      If you're rootless, something like Netguard or Blokada works well, although they require the VPN api to filter traffic.

      If you're rootless, something like Netguard or Blokada works well, although they require the VPN api to filter traffic.

      5 votes
      1. [3]
        apoctr
        Link Parent
        Yeah, rootless solutions aren't great IMO. If you want to block advertisements while using an actual VPN you're outta luck, as far as I can tell.

        Yeah, rootless solutions aren't great IMO. If you want to block advertisements while using an actual VPN you're outta luck, as far as I can tell.

        5 votes
        1. starchturrets
          Link Parent
          Some blockers (Netguard and Adguard) are compatible with a VPN. It's with iOS that you're out of luck.

          Some blockers (Netguard and Adguard) are compatible with a VPN. It's with iOS that you're out of luck.

          3 votes
        2. Askme_about_penguins
          Link Parent
          If you have Samsung, you can use AdHell 2 to block ads without root. It uses Samsung's Knox. It's a pretty decent adblocker and package disabler. I like it better than Blokada. No persistent...

          If you have Samsung, you can use AdHell 2 to block ads without root. It uses Samsung's Knox. It's a pretty decent adblocker and package disabler. I like it better than Blokada. No persistent notification and power consumption isn't as high.

          2 votes
      2. najodleglejszy
        Link Parent
        ...or DNS66, Block This, or Adguard. Blokada is the one I use though, and it works great.

        ...or DNS66, Block This, or Adguard. Blokada is the one I use though, and it works great.

        2 votes
  2. [2]
    nic
    Link
    uBlock Origin gets the best reviews on the tech savy sites. uBlock Origin Extra and Privacy Badger are also frequently mentioned.

    uBlock Origin gets the best reviews on the tech savy sites.

    uBlock Origin Extra and Privacy Badger are also frequently mentioned.

    12 votes
    1. phedre
      Link Parent
      This is a requirement for Chrome only due to the way it handles websockets. It was actually developed specifically as a result of hijinks on wowhead.com. Explanation here:...

      uBlock Origin Extra

      This is a requirement for Chrome only due to the way it handles websockets. It was actually developed specifically as a result of hijinks on wowhead.com.

      Explanation here: https://www.reddit.com/r/wow/comments/5exq2d/wowheadcom_sucking_bandwidth/dagbmie/

      5 votes
  3. [3]
    top
    Link
    I'm surprised they didn't mention uMatrix. It's my favorite blocker because it's so configurable (but then again, it's also complicated. Far from a set-and-forget solution). I'm less surprised...

    I'm surprised they didn't mention uMatrix. It's my favorite blocker because it's so configurable (but then again, it's also complicated. Far from a set-and-forget solution). I'm less surprised that they didn't mention Luminous, since it's a lot more work than most people want to deal with.

    11 votes
    1. [2]
      Gaywallet
      Link Parent
      My SO hates uMatrix because they refuse to learn how it works. It's great, albeit it can be intrusive, especially when venturing to sites you haven't already approved or set up. It's probably not...

      My SO hates uMatrix because they refuse to learn how it works. It's great, albeit it can be intrusive, especially when venturing to sites you haven't already approved or set up.

      It's probably not mentioned because in terms of user friendliness, it's terrible.

      Sometimes even with everything whitelisted, it still managed to block certain website functionality and you need to open up a chrome incognito tab to get some javascript or something else to work.

      3 votes
      1. najodleglejszy
        Link Parent
        I tried getting into uMatrix but it was too much of a hassle to make websites actually work. took me like 15 refreshes to display embedded images from imgur, for example. I settled for uBlock...

        I tried getting into uMatrix but it was too much of a hassle to make websites actually work. took me like 15 refreshes to display embedded images from imgur, for example. I settled for uBlock Origin with third party scripts and frames blocked by default, and most of the time I don't run into any issues. or at least not as website-breaking as uMatrix with default settings would cause.

        2 votes
  4. tnkflx
    Link
    Please, do NOT recommend or use Adblock Plus! https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16997272 https://medium.com/@trybravery/please-stop-using-adblock-but-not-why-you-think-13280e76c8e7...
    9 votes
  5. [5]
    Comment deleted by author
    Link
    1. [2]
      rkcr
      Link Parent
      How do you handle your Pi going down? I got a Pi just for the purposes of trying out Pi-hole, and realized that if there's ever a blackout that the Pi-hole goes down and when the power comes back,...

      How do you handle your Pi going down? I got a Pi just for the purposes of trying out Pi-hole, and realized that if there's ever a blackout that the Pi-hole goes down and when the power comes back, the Pi-hole needs a bit of initialization or else my whole internet goes down (since I'm routing DNS via the Pi-hole).

      3 votes
      1. Abrown
        Link Parent
        I'm pretty sure on most network interfaces there's an option for a 2nd DNS, that would allow you to bypass the Pi-Hole if it's down.

        I'm pretty sure on most network interfaces there's an option for a 2nd DNS, that would allow you to bypass the Pi-Hole if it's down.

        3 votes
    2. [2]
      smores
      Link Parent
      How does pi-hole work in conjunction with your VPN? Aren't all of your DNS requests tunneled through your VPN, bypassing the pi-hole? I'm asking because I tried a few weeks ago to get that set up...

      How does pi-hole work in conjunction with your VPN? Aren't all of your DNS requests tunneled through your VPN, bypassing the pi-hole?

      I'm asking because I tried a few weeks ago to get that set up only to have exactly that experience haha.

      1 vote
      1. [2]
        Comment deleted by author
        Link Parent
        1. smores
          Link Parent
          Oh wow that's awesome, thanks so much for elaborating! I'm gonna look into this tomorrow, I really appreciate it!

          Oh wow that's awesome, thanks so much for elaborating! I'm gonna look into this tomorrow, I really appreciate it!

          2 votes
  6. starchturrets
    Link
    Simple, plain english read. Everything from plugins to mobile browsers to pihole is covered. I also like how it encourages the user to experiment until they find what suits them.

    Simple, plain english read. Everything from plugins to mobile browsers to pihole is covered. I also like how it encourages the user to experiment until they find what suits them.

    6 votes
  7. [2]
    Crepedestroyer
    Link
    I use noscript primarily. It get's better with time as your own personal whitelist grows. Sure there are some sites that break/don't load fully but as a general rule of thumb it seems those are...

    I use noscript primarily. It get's better with time as your own personal whitelist grows. Sure there are some sites that break/don't load fully but as a general rule of thumb it seems those are the sites that I wouldn't want to visit anyway and only chance upon them via reddit links. If I really want to see the content I will temporarily unblock scripts until those aspects I want to see load up (which can be a bit tedious).

    One thing I have noticed recently however is how youtube seems to buffer more. I loaded up Edge and videos play without issue. Not sure if this is as a result of noscript or something else in my firefox config. I was even thinking perhaps this is an intentional penalisation for not subjecting myself to their ads? Can youtube do this?

    6 votes
    1. frickindeal
      Link Parent
      I used NoScript for quite a while, but on a new laptop I decided to just go FF and uBlock Origin, and I seem to end up seeing no more ads than I did before, without much configuration. I love the...

      I used NoScript for quite a while, but on a new laptop I decided to just go FF and uBlock Origin, and I seem to end up seeing no more ads than I did before, without much configuration. I love the fact that I can kill just about any element I don't want to see with little fanfare. NoScript definitely has its advantages, though, but I'm enjoying not playing with it.

      3 votes
  8. Soptik
    Link
    What an interresting rabbit hole. Sort of surprised they didn't mentoined uMatrix, great extension. This all brought me here, interesting read.

    What an interresting rabbit hole. Sort of surprised they didn't mentoined uMatrix, great extension.

    This all brought me here, interesting read.

    4 votes
  9. SplatTim
    Link
    I've been using default uBlock for a while now, but I might have to start using the advanced mode after this. According to the GitHub wiki, it also makes pages load even faster than with Adblock,...

    I've been using default uBlock for a while now, but I might have to start using the advanced mode after this. According to the GitHub wiki, it also makes pages load even faster than with Adblock, which I don't think was mentioned here.

    3 votes
  10. heartbeats
    Link
    Check out privacytools.io if you are looking for ways to protect your privacy online. There is an extensive list of recommendations on different apps and services you can use. Regarding ads and...

    Check out privacytools.io if you are looking for ways to protect your privacy online. There is an extensive list of recommendations on different apps and services you can use. Regarding ads and tracking they recommend Mozilla Firefox (with their list of config tweaks enabled) together with these add-ons: Privacy Badger, uBlock Origin, HTTPS everywhere, Decentraleyes. Furthermore NoScript and uMatrix are recommended for advanced users.

    3 votes