Document and Entity Information	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2013	Aug. 06, 2013 Class A Common Stock	Aug. 06, 2013 Class B Common Stock
Entity Registrant Name	WAVE SYSTEMS CORP
Entity Central Index Key	0000919013
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Jun. 30, 2013
Amendment Flag	false
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		31,240,739	8,722
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2013
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2