Apps Create hotspot from an android device that serves as local webserver to other mobile devices

[pjmuller]

Hi,

I'm a webdeveloper but for a youthcamp organisation I'm searching to solve this problem: at the end of the camp they would like the children to fill in a survey on their mobile phones.
As we are abroad we don't want them to use expensive roaming and we also don't give them wifi because then they are surfing all the time..

A perfect solution would be to have an android app on the cell phone of the camp LEADER that makes a wifi hotspot for the CHILDRENS cellphones to detect. Then when they connect they see a landing/splash page with the questionnaire displayed. When they send the form the emitting cellphone receives it, (and later on that person can send the data on to a server when it is connected to the internet.

I know how to do all the web stuff (so the questionnaire form, answer storage and push to the server), what I don't know is how to create a cell phone that is a hotspot for its own local webserver.

Do you know if this will be possible in some way? Could you point me in the right direction?
Thanks!
Pj

 

[Rukbat]

Easier solution. Have a survey form as your only web page. When they complete the survey (and hit a submit button or something similar), save the survey to a database and close the session. Don't have the router connected to the internet, so the only thing they can "surf" is your survey page. (They have to enter their name, ID or something similar. Do a SELECT on that and if they've already submitted a survey, tell them, thank them and close the session.)

 

[pjmuller]

Hi Rukbat,

I had the same idea in mind about offering one webpage and fetch the form results. My question is how to achieve it ?

It's easy to have a webserver app + tethering. But then you force the others to visit an url like Test Page for the Nginx HTTP Server on EPEL. How can we let the 'client' mobile phones load the survey form independent of which url they provide. (or alternative offer the survey as a kind of hotspot landing page)

Thanks

 

[alostpacket]

For me the first thing that comes to mind requires a laptop and WiFI AP/Router (but not internet)

Setup the webserver on the laptop/desktop and run a local LAMP stack or some such. Then run a WiFi router but dont connect it to the internet. Instead the kids can connect to your site via the LAN IP. Somthing like http://192.168.1.5:3000/ which would mean the router assigned you 192.168.1.5 and your server is running on port 3000.

This is actually how a lot of web dev environments are setup for fast development and testing before pushing to real web servers.

You should be able to configure the router to route all traffic a specified way but it depends on the router (and the router's firmware). I would kinda doubt a hotspot /tether app would have this. Something like a Linksys WRT54GL ($50 router I think) should be able to do this easily -- or you can install Tomato USB firmware on it or DDWRT firmware.

You need to make all DNS resolve to your server or if you can load you custom app on their phones just point it at http://192.168.1.5:3000/


hth

 

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