All articles starting with W
11,426 articles
Wire rope
Wire rope is a load-bearing machine element made of steel wires twisted into strands around a central core, used in cranes, lifts, mine hoisting, bridges, and mooring systems.
Wire saw
A wire saw is a cutting tool using a thin, tensioned wire carrying abrasive to slice hard materials into thin wafers with minimal material loss.
Wire transfer
A wire transfer, also called a bank transfer, is an electronic movement of funds from one bank account to another, domestic or international, that generally cannot be reversed.
Wire-frame model
A wire-frame model, or wire-frame figure, represents a 3D object using only its edges, with no surfaces or textures; it is used in 3D computer graphics and CAD.
Wire-guided localization
Wire-guided localization, also called wire or needle localization, is an image-guided technique in which a hooked wire marks a non-palpable breast lesion so a surgeon can excise it.
Wire-guided missile
A wire-guided missile receives steering commands through a wire paid out in flight, used chiefly in anti-tank missiles since the 1950s because it is cheap and jam-resistant.
Wirecard
Wirecard AG was a German payment-processing company that reached the DAX-30 with a $28 billion valuation before collapsing in June 2020 in a massive accounting fraud.
Wirecard scandal
The Wirecard scandal was the June 2020 collapse of German payments company Wirecard AG, whose €1.9 billion of claimed Asian escrow cash did not exist.
Wired (magazine)
Wired (WIRED) is a San Francisco-founded, Condé Nast-owned monthly tech magazine launched in 1993 by Louis Rossetto and Jane Metcalfe, known for long-form tech-culture journalism, HotWired, and its Left-rated coverage.
Wired Equivalent Privacy
Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP), or Wireless Encryption Protocol, is the original IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi security protocol, shown insecure by 2001 cryptanalysis and replaced by WPA.
Wireframe Ventures
Wireframe Ventures is a venture capital firm in Mill Valley, California, founded in 2016 to invest at the pre-seed and seed stage in climate and health technology.
WireGuard
WireGuard is a free, open-source VPN protocol that creates encrypted tunnels over UDP; created by Jason A. Donenfeld in 2016, it joined the mainline Linux kernel in 2020.
Wirehaired Pointing Griffon
Wirehaired Pointing Griffon, or Korthals Griffon: a medium-sized versatile gundog developed from 1873 by Eduard Karel Korthals, AKC-recognized in 1887, with a harsh low-shedding wire coat, webbed toes, and 12-15 year lifespan.
Wireless
Wireless, or wireless telecommunication, is the transmission of information between points without a physical conducting link, using electromagnetic waves, as in cellular networks, Wi-Fi, and satellites.
Wireless (2020 TV series)
Wireless (2020) is a Quibi short-form thriller series, 10 episodes of about 8 minutes, created by Jack Seidman and Zach Wechter and executive produced by Steven Soderbergh, starring Tye Sheridan as a stranded student whose dying phone is his lifeline, using Quibi's Turnstyle portrait/landscape format.
Wireless access point
A wireless access point (WAP), also called a WLAN access point, is a networking device that lets wireless devices connect to a wired network, extending coverage and enabling roaming between access points.
Wireless ad hoc network
A wireless ad hoc network, or mobile ad hoc network (MANET), is a decentralized wireless network whose nodes act as both hosts and routers without fixed infrastructure.
Wireless Application Protocol
Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), an open specification suite developed in the late 1990s, enabled mobile phones to access internet-style services over low-bandwidth cellular networks before 3G and full web browsers made it obsolete.
Wireless Broadband Alliance
The Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA), founded in 2003, is a global industry body of operators and vendors driving seamless, interoperable Wi-Fi experiences for more than 2 billion subscribers.
Wireless Code (CRTC)
The Wireless Code is a mandatory code of conduct the CRTC imposes on Canadian wireless providers, covering contract clarity, cancellation fees, bill-shock caps, and device unlocking.
Wireless Communications and Public Safety Act
The Wireless Communications and Public Safety Act of 1999 is a US federal law that designated 9-1-1 as the universal emergency telephone number, signed in October 1999.
Wireless distribution system
A wireless distribution system (WDS) is a system that interconnects IEEE 802.11 access points wirelessly without a wired backbone, using four-address frames the standard defines but never explains how to configure.
Wireless Emergency Alerts
Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) are short emergency messages that US authorities broadcast to mobile phones in a targeted area, administered by FEMA and delivered over commercial mobile networks.
Wireless Festival
Wireless Festival is a London rap, hip-hop, and Afrobeats day festival at Finsbury Park, run by Festival Republic and Live Nation since 2005; Drake headlined all three 2025 days, and the 2026 edition was cancelled after Ye's UK entry was blocked.
Wireless Gigabit Alliance
The Wireless Gigabit Alliance (WiGig Alliance) was an industry consortium formed in May 2009 by 17 technology companies to develop multi-gigabit wireless technology for the 60 GHz band.
Wireless LAN
A wireless LAN (WLAN) is a data network connecting devices within a building or campus using radio instead of cabling, based on the IEEE 802.11 standards.
Wireless mesh network
A wireless mesh network, also called radio mesh network, is a network where each node relays traffic for others, extending Wi-Fi coverage without wired backbones.
Wireless network
A wireless network, also known as a wireless computer network, connects devices using radio transmissions instead of cables, most commonly as a wireless local area network.
Wireless power transfer
Wireless power transfer, also called power beaming, transmits electrical energy without conductors using oscillating fields or beams, charging smartphones, electric vehicles, and biomedical implants; it has been pursued as a research goal since the mid-1800s.
Wireless repeater
A wireless repeater, also called a Wi-Fi extender or range extender, is a networking device that receives and re-broadcasts a Wi-Fi signal to extend coverage.