My project involves collecting data (orientation, mostly) from a number of different devices (smartphones, generally) and aggregating it on a PC. A really simple Node.js project involving WebSockets works brilliantly here.
One feature I'd like to add is to make it very easy for the connecting devices to find the server running on the PC. Right now, I have to first find out the IP address of the server computer and then type it in manually on each of the client devices. And then I recalled that really annoying bump-out-to-our-Terms-of-Service thing that every hotel does when you join their WiFi networks. So, ideally, a phone would connect to the ad hoc network and then the browser would open to the right page. Barrring that level of slickitude, I'd be fine with typing something simple into for an address, like the project name or something.
Bonus points if we can avoid having to add another language to the project stack. Trying to make this an easily deployed project.
I've done some googling on "custom DNS for ad hoc wireless networks", but the results are more of a "troubleshooting a problem" than a "developing a feature" nature. I mostly just need help finding a place to start looking. I'm a software developer, but not typically in network applications.