## Network device tracking

The integration can create a `device_tracker` entity for each network device known to your Pi-hole instance, reporting `home` when the device made a DNS query recently and `not_home` otherwise.

### Enabling network device tracking

Network device tracking is **disabled by default** to avoid creating unexpected entities on upgrade.

On the Pi-hole V6 Integration page (_/config/integrations/integration/pi_hole_v6_), configure your service and check `Enable network device tracking`.

> [!NOTE]
> After enabling or disabling this option, it is necessary to reload the service or restart Home Assistant.

### Filtering tracked devices

Tracked devices can be restricted with a whitelist or a blacklist:

- `Use address list as a whitelist`: when checked, only the listed addresses are tracked. When unchecked, the listed addresses are excluded and all others are tracked.
- `Filtered addresses`: one MAC address, Pi-hole pseudo-MAC (e.g. `IP-192.168.1.10`, generated by Pi-hole when it cannot determine a device's real MAC address), or IP address per line, or separated by commas.

Leaving the address list empty disables filtering entirely, regardless of the whitelist/blacklist setting.

> [!NOTE]
> IP addresses match a device's current IP. If a device's IP changes later (for example after a DHCP lease renewal), the filter may stop matching it until the list is updated.

### Removing a device manually

A network device can be removed at any time from the Home Assistant UI (device page > `Delete`), even while Pi-hole still reports it. If Pi-hole reports the same device again on a later refresh, it is recreated automatically.

### Devices Pi-hole stops reporting

If Pi-hole simply stops reporting a device (it is not excluded by a filter), its entity is kept and naturally reports as `not_home`. It is not removed automatically.