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Overlord - Home Network Kill Switch

· 約3分
Nick Lange
Nick Lange
Someone at 5L Labs

For exactly zero-users (or maybe just me and my family),​

I've spent some time firming up the Overlord Home Network Kill Switch project due to some breaking changes in Pi-hole v6 and Ubiquiti Control 9.4.19. It’s a home project that uses iOS HomeKit buttons, backed by a Ubiquiti and Pi-hole setup, to simplify parental controls. I suspect others might appreciate a one-tap solution for managing network access, especially one that's easy enough for less technical family members to use.

Why I Built This​

The UniFi app is powerful, but I found it took too many clicks to quickly block the internet or specific services like YouTube. This project creates simple "on/off" switches in Apple HomeKit, saving me from needing to open the app or connect to a VPN for simple tasks. For those using Home Assistant, integration should also be straightforward.

What It Does​

I built a small FastAPI application that works with HomeKit (via MQTT and Node-RED) to:

  • Enable or disable predefined firewall rules on your Ubiquiti network.
  • Block or unblock specific devices by their MAC address.
  • Allow non-technical users to create schedules and automations for these actions directly in the Home app.

Where to Get It​

You can find all the specifics on the GitHub repo: https://github.com/5L-Labs/overlord-network-kill-switch

To get started quickly with Podman:

podman run -d --replace --name=overlord-dns -p 19000:19000 --env-file=./etc/envfile ghcr.io/5l-labs/overlord-network-kill-switch:2.5

What was hard about this?​

Testing, testing, testing. Time management was also a challenge—this took far longer than planned for the limited time I had.

  • Not DOSing the Ubiquiti Controller while trying to validate code paths.
  • Ensuring Pi-hole v6 API calls were working as expected.
  • Adding in edge-case/race-condition checks.
  • Making it proper, releasable code that someone else might actually use.

Did AI Help?​

No, not really. It did some scaffolding and documentation, but the core logic was still human-led. I am currently using Jules to keep ripping out dead code paths and maintain the FastAPI backend, which has significantly lowered the "toil" of this side project.

Recent Changes​

  • Pi-hole v6 API Integration: The project now uses the new pihole6api library to interact with the Pi-hole v6 API. This allows for more reliable and efficient management of blocklists.
  • Ubiquiti Control 9.4.19 Support: The project has been updated to support the latest version of Ubiquiti Control.

How It Works (The "Background")​

I use the firewall rules on my Ubiquiti gear to enforce blocks on devices (like school-issued laptops) that are configured to bypass my local Pi-hole DNS. This setup allows for creating network-level blocks for common services, providing a more robust solution for locked-down devices. It was a fun project, and it gives my family an easier way to manage internet access as my kids get older.

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