Glossary Of Rfid Terms -- W

Warehouse Management System

A key component of the supply chain, intended to control the movement and storage of materials within a warehouse and process the associated transactions, including shipping, receiving, putaway and picking. Such systems also direct and optimize stock putaway based on real-time information about the status of bin utilization. WMSs utilize auto-ID data-capture technology, such as bar-code scanners, mobile computers, wireless LANs and RFID, to efficiently monitor the flow of products.

Wi-Fi

The generic wireless interface of mobile computing devices, such as laptops used in local area networks (LANs). The term "Wi-Fi" (a play on the term "Hi-Fi") is thought to be an abbreviation for "wireless fidelity." Common uses include Internet and voice-over-IP phone access, gaming and network connectivity for such consumer electronics as televisions, DVD players and digital cameras. In spite of media reports about possible health risks from Wi-Fi, scientific studies have failed to show a causal effect.

WIP Tracking

See Work-in-process tracking.

Wireless Markup Language

WML is a markup language that is based on XML (eXtensible Markup Language). The official WML specification is developed and maintained by the WAP Forum, an industry-wide consortium founded by Nokia, Phone.com, Motorola, and Ericsson. This specification defines the syntax, variables, and elements used in a valid WML file.

WML

See Wireless Markup Language

Work-in-process Tracking

Manufacturers often have to add parts to subassemblies or perform a series of processes on goods being manufactured. Using RFID to track work-in-process reduces manual data collection and can help ensure that the right processes are preformed at the proper time on the correct product.

WORM

See write once, read many

Write once, read many

A tag that can be written to only once by the user. Thereafter, the tag can only be read.

Write range

The distance from which data can be written to an RFID tag.

Write rate

The rate at which information is transferred to a tag, written into the tag's memory and verified as being correct.