I am looking for the feasibility of implementing an ad-hoc type messaging service on Android. Basically I want a several Android users to be able to communicate (text is enough at this point) without having a cellular connection. But there can be a centralized access point. For example a low-power computer with a wireless router.

What is the best way to implement something like this? I was thinking using XMPP. Could use the computer as the XMPP server and let Android users connect to it. Is this a reasonable approach?

Any suggestions are greatly welcomed.
Thank you.