Automated Service Discovery and Wireless Network Set-Up

A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a data structure, the data structure being converted from a wireless transmission signal transmitted between two computing devices, the data structure comprising:

• a host name field wherein a host name for a host computing device is stored, the host name identifying the computing device that transmitted the wireless transmission signal;
• an invitation list wherein an identifier for each computing device requested to become a member of a wireless network is stored;
• and
• a service flag field wherein service bits are stored for specifying a type of service desired for the wireless network.

A computing device, comprising:

• a processor;
• a memory into which a plurality of instructions are loaded, the plurality of instructions performing a method when executed by the processor, the method comprising:
• displaying a hostname for each host computing device from which a beacon (300) is received, wherein displaying is via a graphical user interface;
• providing a selection means on the graphical user interface for selecting at least one of the host computing devices;
• and
• providing a create network means on the graphical user interface that when activated results in a transmission of a network set-up request, the network set-up request identifying each of the selected host computing devices and inviting each of the selected host computing devices to become a member of a wireless network.