RPI as a central server for co-located android devices

Question

I would like to use a raspberry pi as a central server for an application I'm building. Basically, I want the raspberry Pi to act as a server which can be used by co-located mobile devices to communicate with each other. I'm trying to build a local access network, and there is no need for an Internet connection. I am going to build an application on Android to interface with the server.

I have considered using an ad-hoc network, however, I have found through the following (among others):

1. Can Android do peer-to-peer ad-hoc networking?
2. xda-developers thread

that Android does not play nicely with ad-hoc networks unless rooted. I am not in a position to root the cellphones, so what else could one do in this instance?

What is a replacement for an ad-hoc network that is compatible with android?

Answer 1

I ended up creating an Access Point, as suggested by @Jonathon Reinhart. Here's a tutorial on how to do that http://elinux.org/RPI-Wireless-Hotspot