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A self-hosted DNS filter can stop your LG TV from reaching domains on its blocklists, but it cannot show you what data the TV has already collected, and it does not isolate the TV from the internet or your home network. The title does not name the tool. The most likely candidate for a home setup like this is Pi-hole, which its project describes as “a DNS (Domain Name Service) sinkhole that protects your devices from unwanted content, without installing any client-side software.” The rest of this article assumes Pi-hole and explains what that combination can and cannot do on an LG webOS TV.
How a DNS filter sees your TV
When the TV needs to reach a server, it usually first asks a DNS resolver to translate a name, such as a telemetry or advertising hostname, into an address. If the TV uses Pi-hole as that resolver, Pi-hole can refuse to answer for names on its lists, so the connection never starts. Pi-hole’s documentation says it filters unwanted domains for devices that use it as their DNS resolver, and it names smart TVs among those devices.
That also defines the limits. The filter works on names, not on what the TV does internally. It only sees lookups that actually reach it. A device that connects directly to an IP address, or that uses a resolver you have not pointed it at, sits outside that path. The Pi-hole documentation does not establish that it blocks every direct-IP connection or every network protocol, so treat it as a domain-level control.
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What LG says the TV collects
LG Electronics’ corporate privacy statement, published September 12, 2026, describes two features that matter here.
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- Automatic content recognition (ACR). LG says its ACR service may process content-identification fingerprints together with device, content-source, network and consent information. Users can disable ACR in the TV settings. According to LG, this processing does not take place inside third-party streaming apps such as Netflix or YouTube when they are accessed through LG Apps. LG notes that markets and settings vary.
- Device discovery. LG says a smart TV may recognize and communicate with compatible external devices to support connectivity features. Nearby Wi-Fi access-point and signal-strength information is processed separately and, where ACR is available and enabled, may help estimate the TV’s approximate location for ACR services.
On device discovery, LG states: “The information identified through this device-discovery function is used to support connectivity-related features and is not used for household profiling, cross-device targeting, or advertising segmentation.” That is LG’s description of its own practices, not an independent audit. LG’s global privacy policy page was last updated April 29, 2026.
What independent reporting found, and where the evidence stops
Tom’s Guide, in an article updated September 11, 2026, reports that an investigation by Gamers Nexus and Level1Techs described certain LG webOS TVs scanning the local network to identify connected devices. The same article quotes LG describing nearby-device discovery as a standard function.
These accounts describe the same feature from two angles. The reported scanning is an observed behavior on specific models. LG’s statement explains the purpose. Neither the LG statement nor the reporting independently establishes that discovered device data is used for household profiling, so that question remains open.
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A practical consequence follows. Local-network discovery typically does not involve looking up a remote domain name, so a DNS filter has little to act on there. Blocking domains addresses a different risk from local scanning.
Setting up Pi-hole so the TV actually uses it
Pi-hole only filters traffic that reaches it. Its post-install guidance recommends configuring router DHCP to hand out Pi-hole as the DNS server, so every client that takes a lease uses it. If the router cannot do that, the documentation describes two fallbacks, shown below. Raspberry Pi hardware is optional: Pi-hole’s prerequisites list Raspberry Pi OS among supported systems, describe the requirements as modest, and say a Raspberry Pi is not necessary if other compatible hardware is available.
| Method | Where DNS is set | Requirement | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Router DHCP (the documented preferred route) | Router admin page, DHCP or LAN section | Router must let you set a DNS server for DHCP clients | Covers every client that takes a lease. Whether the TV actually follows it must be confirmed in the query log. |
| Pi-hole’s own DHCP server | Pi-hole web interface | Router DHCP must be disabled first | You take over address assignment, and a misconfiguration can disconnect devices on the network. |
| Manual DNS on the TV | TV network settings | TV must accept a manually entered DNS address | Applies only to that TV, and must be re-entered if the setting is reset. Whether a reset clears it is not stated in the sources reviewed. |
- Give Pi-hole a fixed address, using a DHCP reservation on the router or a static setting on the Pi-hole host, so the DNS address does not change.
- In the router admin page, open the DHCP or LAN settings and set the DNS server for clients to the Pi-hole address. Menu names differ by manufacturer.
- Reconnect the TV to the network, or power-cycle it, so it requests a new lease with the updated DNS setting.
- If the TV’s network status screen shows its DNS server, confirm it matches Pi-hole. The exact screen depends on your webOS version.
- Verify with the query log, described in the next section.
Verify that the TV is using the filter
Open the Pi-hole web interface and go to the query log. Menu labels vary by Pi-hole version. Filter by the TV’s IP address, then use the TV for a few minutes: open apps, browse the home screen and run a channel or input scan if you use one. The domains that appear show which lookups reached Pi-hole. If no entries appear for the TV, it is not using Pi-hole, and none of your block lists apply to it.
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The log is evidence of partial coverage, not proof of completeness. Connections made without a name lookup will not appear as domains.
What blocking can break
- Time synchronization. A community list of LG TV settings warns that blocking time-sync domains can leave the TV clock wrong after a power loss.
- Strict-TLS downloads. The same list warns that blocking can affect downloads that rely on strict TLS checks.
- Broadcast and app features. A 2023 academic paper on an HbbTV blocker prototype tested block rules on nine Italian channels and treats functionality breakage as a real trade-off of smart-TV filtering. That study concerns smart TVs in general and does not measure LG webOS models specifically.
When a feature fails, check the query log for the blocked domain before changing anything. Allowlist only the specific name involved, then retest. Avoid broad allowlisting to fix a single error, because it removes the protection you set up.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Turn off ACR and keep the firmware current
DNS blocking and the TV’s own ACR setting work at different layers. Turning off ACR in the TV settings addresses the TV’s recognition service directly. The DNS filter reduces lookups only for the names you block. If you want both protections, use both.
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Firmware matters too. LG’s privacy statement says: “LG currently provides security updates for eligible TV products for up to five years from the initial release of the applicable webOS platform version, subject to product support policies and applicable requirements.” A TV past that window will not receive those fixes, and a DNS filter cannot replace them.
If you actually run Home Assistant
Home Assistant is a different tool. Its documentation says its data can remain on local hardware, and it provides an LG webOS integration for control, notifications and switches. That integration requires enabling LG Connect Apps on the TV, and it is not a DNS filtering feature. The two can run side by side, but neither replaces the other.
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What this setup does and does not do
A Pi-hole setup on an LG TV can reduce some domain-level connections and gives you a log of the names the TV asks for. It does not establish what the TV has already collected, it is not designed to stop local-network discovery, and it does not guarantee privacy. Combine it with the ACR setting and current firmware, verify it in the query log, and accept that time sync and some app features may need attention.
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