Criticker – Personalized Discovery at Scale with TotalChoice

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At TotalChoice Hosting, we’re proud to power everything from personal side projects to enterprise-grade platforms. Our dedicated servers are the quiet backbone behind thousands of websites, applications, and digital experiences — built by people who care about performance, reliability, and support that actually shows up when it matters.

In this Client Showcase, we’re excited to feature Criticker — a smart, community-driven recommendation engine that helps people discover what to watch or play next. Whether you’re a film buff, TV junkie, or gamer, Criticker offers a personalized experience built on taste and trust. Behind the scenes, their entire platform runs on our high-performance Michigan Dedicated Servers, backed by over 15 years of partnership.

Criticker is a film, TV, and video game recommendation platform that works a little differently than the typical streaming algorithm. Instead of guessing based on popularity, Criticker matches users with others who share their unique tastes and builds recommendations based on that network of similar preferences.

We recently spoke with Mike Powell, Co-Founder of Criticker, about his experience with TotalChoice Hosting and what makes Criticker tick.

Why Criticker Chose TotalChoice Hosting

After facing reliability issues with a previous provider, Mike Powell and his team at Criticker were looking for more than just another server — they needed trust, performance, and real support!

“We had a pretty rough experience with our previous provider — ongoing performance problems and support that just wasn’t there when we needed it. We started looking for a dedicated hosting provider that could offer more than just hardware — we wanted someone we could count on. After researching our options, TotalChoice Hosting stood out. That was over 15 years ago, and we’ve been with them ever since. The difference in service and reliability was immediately obvious, and it’s stayed that way ever since.”

How Criticker Runs at Scale

Criticker operates a server infrastructure designed to support the demands of a high-traffic, data-rich recommendation engine. Their platform runs entirely on a home-grown PHP framework, with MySQL and JavaScript powering the backend and frontend — all working in harmony to deliver personalized results in real time.

With over 21 million ratings and counting, the platform is built to handle continuous load, dynamic content generation, and a growing global audience. Thanks to the flexibility and reliability of their dedicated hosting environment, Criticker can focus on refining its platform, not managing downtime.

Performance That Speaks for Itself

At TotalChoice Hosting, we don’t wait for problems to happen — we work proactively with our clients to identify opportunities for improvement before performance becomes an issue. That’s exactly what happened during a recent review of Criticker’s infrastructure. After coordinating a hardware upgrade to better support their growing workload, the results were immediate.

“We really noticed a huge improvement in performance. Everything just felt smoother — and as developers, that kind of upgrade is something you don’t take for granted.”

By staying ahead of the curve with infrastructure planning and support, TotalChoice ensures Criticker’s platform runs at peak performance, no matter how much it grows.

Criticker Homepage Screenshot
criticker.com

Support That Shows Up When It Matters Most

We asked Mike if there was a time when TotalChoice Hosting’s support really stood out. Without hesitation, he recalled a moment that perfectly captured what we aim to deliver:

“A number of years ago, we were alerted that our hard drive was possibly about to fail. This was on a Sunday, but TCH support got back to us immediately — they didn’t wait until Monday. They scheduled downtime, pulled the server off the rack for inspection, kept us updated throughout the entire process, and replaced the failing hardware fast. Our sites were back online smoothly and without data loss. It was customer service that went above and beyond.”

At TotalChoice Hosting, this is more than just a support ticket — it’s our standard. Real people. Real responses. And real solutions, even on weekends, when it matters most.

Hosting That Helps You Grow

As Criticker has grown, so has its infrastructure’s complexity. Today, its platform runs on bare metal dedicated servers, supporting a custom-built PHP framework, MySQL databases, and JavaScript-powered features. With TotalChoice Hosting, Criticker has built a scalable and dependable environment that keeps pace with its evolving demands.

Mike Powell, Co-Founder of Criticker, said it best:

“Having our own dedicated servers, where we can host multiple projects, has been huge for our growth!”

This flexibility—backed by personal, responsive support—allows Criticker to scale confidently as its audience grows while keeping performance and reliability at the core of its user experience.

Final Thoughts from Criticker

“The uptime has been great, but what really sets TCH apart is their excellent, always-responsive customer support team.”

For over 15 years, Criticker has relied on TotalChoice Hosting to deliver the stability, speed, uptime, and personal support needed to run a global recommendation platform. From server upgrades to weekend support requests, our team has been there to ensure their infrastructure stays invisible so their users can focus on discovering great entertainment without interruption.

We’re proud to have earned that trust over so many years and even prouder to continue powering Criticker’s growth into the future. Partnerships like these define TotalChoice Hosting.

Self-Hosting Vs Colocation? Everything you need to know!

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Running your own server at home feels like a power move. You’ve got full control, no monthly fees, and the satisfaction of running everything yourself — whether it’s Proxmox, Unraid, Plex, TrueNAS, or a custom Docker stack. But when your self-hosted setup starts handling real workloads — backups, VPNs, Plex libraries, even business data — it stops being a weekend project and becomes a risk. Colocation might be the move for you!

Let’s talk about where self-hosting shines, where it fails, and why Michigan colocation just makes sense.

The Real Benefits of Self-Hosting

Self-hosting definitely has its place. For homelabbers, tech enthusiasts, and privacy-conscious power users, it offers:

Pro Why It’s Great
Full Control You own and manage the stack end-to-end — hardware, software, and services.
No Monthly Fees Once you’ve bought the hardware, there’s no bill for rack space or bandwidth.
Learning Experience Running your own Plex, Proxmox, TrueNAS, or Unraid box is a great education.
Flexibility & Customization Total freedom to run your own stacks, images, and configs — no restrictions.
Privacy No third parties touching your data.

If you’re experimenting or running personal projects, self-hosting is a great place to start.
But when the stakes get higher — when uptime and data integrity matter — it’s time to level up.

Fire, Flood, Theft — Your Basement Isn’t a Data Center

We’ve seen it all:

  • A sump pump fails — and a TrueNAS box drowns.
  • A lightning strike hits — and the entire Proxmox node gets fried.
  • A break-in wipes out decades of files and backups.

Even high-profile creators aren’t immune.

Watch: LGR’s data loss after a hurricane!

“I felt physically sick. Years of my life — gone in one surge. I never want to experience that again.”
— LGR, Lazy Game Reviews

Self-hosting is fragile. When your hardware is sitting on a shelf in the basement, it only takes one moment to lose everything.

Your Power & Internet Aren’t Enough

Here’s the reality of residential hosting:

  • No redundant power
  • No enterprise cooling
  • No static IPs without extra cost
  • No backup generator for your ISP

Even if you’ve got a home generator, your residential ISP infrastructure doesn’t. Most street-side fiber nodes, pole amps, or coaxial cabinets are only backed by tiny batteries, not generators.

The Harsh Reality of Residential Internet

We hear this a lot: “I’ve got a backup generator — I’ll be fine.”

But that only solves half the problem.

Even if your server stays powered up, your internet won’t. Here’s why:

  • Residential ISP hardware (like fiber nodes or cable amps) is usually powered by small battery units.
  • These only last 2 to 4 hours during an outage.
  • After that, your neighborhood’s internet is down, even if your lights are on.
  • Restoration is not prioritized for residential zones. The bottom line is that bad weather means you’re offline, generator or not.

Meanwhile, in a proper data center like ours:

  • Power is redundant and conditioned
  • Bandwidth is multi-homed and enterprise-class
  • Infrastructure is monitored, maintained, and restored first

Real-World Example: Plex Isn’t Pretty on a Weak Upload

Self-hosting sounds great — until Grandpa in Texas tries to watch home videos of Johnny the grandson from your basement Plex server… and the stream keeps buffering.

Or you’re trying to stream Johnny’s 4K high school football game to five family members at once — and your home upload speed chokes. Residential internet usually gives you fast download, but a weak upload. 5–10 Mbps upload just isn’t enough to push full-res video streams to multiple devices.

Even if your Plex server is a beast, your home bandwidth becomes the bottleneck — and your family ends up watching a stuttering slideshow.

Think Self-Hosting Is Cheaper? Think Again.

Here’s what it actually costs to run a modest homelab 24/7 at home:

Item Estimated Monthly Cost
Power (24/7 operation) $23
Business-grade Internet $40
Cooling / ventilation $15
Total $78/month

That’s $78/month, just to keep your server online — not including security, uptime, or support.

Our Michigan colocation plans start at just $59/month, and include:

  • Professional power and cooling
  • Fast, redundant internet
  • Secure facility access
  • Remote hands and support

Your Data Deserves Physical Security

Our data center provides:

  • 24/7 video surveillance
  • Locked cabinets
  • Entry logging
  • Fire suppression systems
  • Controlled access to authorized personnel only

You don’t get that in a spare bedroom.

Why Michigan Colocation Makes Sense

Michigan ranks among the best locations in the country for data center reliability. Here’s why:

Advantage Why It Matters
Low Disaster Risk Safe from earthquakes, hurricanes, and wildfires.
Cool Climate Naturally reduces cooling costs year-round.
Resilient Power Infrastructure Multiple grids, clean energy mix, stable delivery.
Strategic Location Midwestern hub with low-latency routes to the U.S. and Canada.
Tech Ecosystem Proximity to top universities and engineering talent.

Our Michigan-based data center gives your hardware the best of both worlds: local access and global-grade infrastructure.

Check out our blog entry about Why Michigan Matters!

You Built It — Bring It

Got your stack dialed in? We’re ready for it.

Colocate your:

  • Unraid NAS
  • Proxmox cluster
  • TrueNAS backup system
  • Docker swarm or Kubernetes lab
  • Plex Server

We support client-owned gear and offer free rack and stack help during your deployment.

It’s Time to Protect What Matters

Your data isn’t disposable.

Whether it’s family photos, client files, offsite backups, or production services — your setup deserves more than a shelf in a basement.

👉 Check out our Michigan Colocation Plans

Top 10 Questions – Michigan Dedicated Server

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When you’re shopping for serious hosting power, it’s not just about how many cores your server has — it’s about where it lives, who’s supporting it, and whether it’s truly yours. That’s where a dedicated server comes into play. If you’re looking for a Michigan dedicated server, this guide is for you.

At TotalChoice Hosting, we specialize in delivering high-performance bare metal servers from our Michigan data centers. Here are the top 10 questions clients ask us — and why Michigan dedicated servers are the smart choice. We’ve answered thousands of client questions over the years — and these are the top 10 we hear most often.

1. What is a dedicated server (aka bare metal)?

A dedicated server, or bare metal server, is a physical machine exclusively allocated to a single client. Unlike shared or VPS hosting, you have full control over the server’s resources. If you’re looking for non-virtualized hosting in Michigan, bare metal servers are the answer.

Explore our Michigan dedicated server plans.

2. Why choose a Michigan data center?

Not all data centers are created equal. When you host your server with TotalChoice Hosting, your hardware lives inside our Southfield, Flint, and Grand Rapids facilities, engineered for enterprise-grade uptime and Detroit metro reliability.

  • Tier III+ certification
  • 99.99% uptime guarantee
  • Redundant power and cooling systems
  • Carrier-neutral connectivity with over 120 providers

If you’re searching for dedicated server hosting in Southeast Michigan, this is where it happens.

Take a look at our Michigan data centers.

3. How is a bare metal server different from VPS or cloud hosting?

While VPS and cloud hosting involve shared resources, a bare metal server provides dedicated hardware, ensuring optimal performance and security. For a comprehensive comparison, visit our blog post: Shared Hosting vs. VPS vs. Dedicated Servers.

4. Do I need to be a sysadmin to manage a bare metal server?

Not at all. We offer both Fully Managed and Unmanaged Dedicated Server plans. Our managed services include:

  • OS installation and updates
  • Security patches
  • 24/7 monitoring

Choose the plan that fits your technical expertise and business needs.

5. What operating systems can I run?

Our servers support a variety of operating systems, including:

  • Linux: Ubuntu, Alma, Rocky, RHEL, Debian, and many more!
  • Windows Server: 2019, 2022, 2025, and many more!
  • Custom ISOs: For specialized requirements

Customize your server to match your project’s specific needs..

6. What kind of hardware do you use for your Michigan dedicated servers?

At TotalChoice Hosting, we don’t cut corners on hardware. Every one of our Michigan dedicated servers is built using enterprise-grade Dell PowerEdge equipment.

We’ve chosen Dell PowerEdge for three simple reasons:

  • Reliability: Dell’s server platforms are rock-solid under pressure. They’re built for 24/7 uptime in real production environments.
  • Lifecycle Support: Dell provides reliable firmware updates, BIOS patches, and hardware replacement timelines that align with long-term client hosting needs.
  • Component Quality: From memory modules to power supplies to RAID controllers, Dell’s internal components are enterprise-class!

When you buy a bare metal server in Michigan from us, you’re getting proven Dell hardware, tested in-house, and deployed in a professionally managed data center.

You’re not gambling on generic components, and that’s a big reason we have clients who have been with us for 20+ years.

7. What about bandwidth and networking?

We are carrier-neutral with 120+ providers, multiple fiber entrances, and direct peering via DET-iX — providing low-latency reach across North America. Our servers come with generous bandwidth allocations and are connected to multiple Tier 1 providers, ensuring low latency and high-speed connectivity. Details are available on our Dedicated Servers page.

8. How fast is the network?

All Michigan-based servers connect to a high-capacity Arista core network, offering:

  • 1Gbps or 10Gbps ports
  • Unmetered options available
  • Direct peering with DET-iX
  • U.S. & Canadian route optimization

That’s why our network is trusted by hosting resellers, universities, and businesses nationwide.

Check bandwidth specs on our Dedicated Servers.

9. How fast can I deploy?

Our most popular bare metal servers in Michigan deploy in 24 to 48 hours, often faster. Custom builds are racked, burned in, and tested before delivery.

And because we manage our own inventory and infrastructure, we don’t wait on vendors.

10. How do I get started?

Visit our Michigan Dedicated Servers page to explore standard and customizable configurations. If you’re not sure what you need, our team can help you choose the best bare metal server for your specific use case.

Need something custom? Contact us directly through our Sales Contact Form or call our Michigan-based team. We’ll walk you through hardware options, upgrades, and deployment timelines.

Once your order is placed, we rack, burn-in, test, and provision your Dell enterprise server in one of our Southfield, Flint, or Grand Rapids data centers. Most setups are completed within 24–48 hours.

Final Thoughts: Why Buy a Dedicated Server in Michigan?.

If you’re serious about uptime, control, and real performance, skip the cloud fluff and go bare metal.

With over 20 years of experience, TotalChoice Hosting is the go-to dedicated server provider in Michigan, trusted by clients across the U.S., Canada, and beyond.

From Detroit enterprise deployments to Grand Rapids colocation, we offer real infrastructure, real support, and real results.

Browse Dedicated Servers
Buy a Detroit Dedicated Server Today

TCH Rack and stack in action : Michigan Colocation Edition

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At TotalChoice Hosting, colocation isn’t just about renting space. It’s about delivering a premium, hands-on experience from the moment you place your order — and this Dell PowerEdge R440 is a perfect example.

Step 1: The Web Order
This journey started like many others—with a client ordering our 1U colocation package directly from the TotalChoice Hosting website. As soon as the order was placed, our sales team reached out personally to finalize the details:

  • Sent client a guide on Michigan Colocation Rack and Stack
  • Provided the client’s dedicated IPv4 allocation
  • Confirmed technical specs (power, uplinks, IPMI, etc.)
  • Asked if the server would be shipped or hand-delivered

Step 2: Arrival via Client-Managed Shipping

The client chose to ship the server directly to our Michigan data center and took advantage of our White Glove Receiving & Rack Service.

While the client is responsible for arranging shipping, we provide clear guidance on packaging and delivery requirements:

  • Use proper OEM-grade or better protective materials
  • Include asset details inside the box
  • Ensure signature-required delivery to our facility
  • Send tracking info to our support team

Once the Dell PowerEdge R440 landed at our loading dock, our technicians took over — unboxing, inspecting, and preparing it for rack deployment.

Step 3: Honeymoon Service Begins

All new colocation clients enjoy our 30-Day Honeymoon Service — Gold-Level Smart Hands, completely free during the first month.

That includes:

  • Free rack & stack
  • Free cabling, power setup, and uplink testing
  • Remote KVM/IPMI configuration
  • Real-time setup assistance

After the Honeymoon period, clients can choose from four Smart Hands service levels to fit their ongoing needs — from basic tasks to full technical management.

Step 4: Inspection

After arrival, our techs performed a full intake inspection:

  • Verified hardware integrity (PSU, fans, RAM, drive trays)
  • Patched into our staging VLAN to confirm network behavior
  • Verify successful POST (Power on Self Test) and clean boot.

Everything passed — the R440 was clean and stable and ready to rack.

Step 5: Rack, Stack & Connect

We mounted the server in Cabinet 19 – Slot 04, connected to dual redundant 120V PDUs, and patched it into our monitored blended bandwidth network on a fully monitored 1Gbps unmetered connection.

  • Dual power feeds tested
  • Neatly dressed and labeled cabling
  • IPMI and KVM confirmed operational
  • Switch port and MAC verified
  • Logged into our internal DCIM inventory and added an inventory asset tag.

Step 6: Client Handoff

We sent the client:

  • High-res photos of the rack installation
  • IP and reverse DNS confirmations
  • Uplink port info
  • onboarding verification
  • Access instructions and Smart Hands contact info

All of it — zero hassle, no delays.

Why It Matters

This is how we do colocation at TotalChoice Hosting:

  • Clear communication
  • Free expert onboarding
  • Hands-on hardware care
  • Real transparency

When your business depends on your server, we treat it like it’s ours.

Want colocation done right?

1U, 2U, half rack, or full cabinet space available
Don’t delay, order today! Colocation Services
Smart Hands Service Options

Honest Hosting: No Overselling

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In the world of web hosting, overselling is a dirty little secret. Most companies do it — we don’t.  Never have and never will.
That one decision makes all the difference in performance, reliability, and customer satisfaction.

What Is Overselling?
Overselling is when a provider promises more resources than a server can actually deliver — hoping customers won’t all use what they’re paying for. It’s common in shared hosting, where hundreds of websites compete for CPU, memory, and disk I/O on a single machine.

The result? Slower site speeds, unstable performance, unexpected downtime, and overloaded support teams.

What We Do Instead…
At TotalChoice Hosting, we never oversell. We believe in honest capacity planning and responsible resource allocation, which keeps our servers fast and our clients happy.

  • We limit the number of accounts per server based on real-world performance data, not profit-maximizing spreadsheets. When load trends shift, we scale proactively, not reactively.
  • Bandwidth usage is continuously monitored, with safeguards in place to prevent abusive spikes that can degrade others’ performance. If there’s an issue, we know before you do and we fix it fast.
  • We also track all essential services in real time, including web, mail, database, and DNS. Each server is monitored 24/7, so if something goes wrong, our team is alerted instantly — and since we own the hardware, there’s no third-party delay.

Our Hardware. Our People. Our Responsibility.
Most hosting companies lease their servers and infrastructure and rely on third-party technicians when hardware fails. That often means delays, finger-pointing, and wasted time, while their customers wait for someone else to update a support ticket.

That’s not how we operate.

At TotalChoice Hosting, we:

  • Own and operate all of our servers and network equipment
  • Staff our data center with experienced technicians
  • Handle every hardware issue in-house — no outsourcing, no delays

If something needs attention at 3AM, we’re already on-site fixing it. That level of control means faster resolutions, higher uptime, and real accountability — exactly what you should expect from a provider that takes hosting seriously.

Uptime You Can Trust — Publicly Tracked at 99.99%+

We don’t just claim reliability — we prove it. Our live status page at status.totalchoicehosting.com shows exactly how we’re performing, 24/7, with data from third-party monitoring tools that track every major service across our network.

In fact, we were one of the first hosting providers to publicly publish third-party uptime data. While many others have since taken their uptime dashboards offline, we’ve kept ours live and transparent because we have nothing to hide.

What you’ll find:

  • Real-time server and service status
  • Historical uptime performance
  • Transparent incident logs
  • Emergency outage notices
  • Planned maintenance schedules

Most of our core infrastructure consistently operates well above 99.99% uptime, month after month — and you don’t have to take our word for it.

Why This Matters for You

Hosting is the foundation of your online presence. If it’s unreliable, everything else suffers.

With TotalChoice Hosting, you can expect:

  • Fast and stable websites, even during traffic spikes
  • Proactive support, not canned responses
  • Peace of mind, knowing your host actually monitors what they sell

Final Thoughts.

Overselling may help some providers squeeze more money out of their hardware — but it always comes at the customer’s expense. That’s never been how we do business.

We’re a family-owned company built from the ground up. We’ve been doing this since 1999. We take pride in offering hosting built on trust, not shortcuts.

See Our Hosting Plans

If you’re ready for hosting built right, we’d love to welcome you to our family of clients.