Redstone Wire

Redstone Wire is a type of tool used to connect items together that can be used to open doors or other items. This tool is only available in Alpha mode. To obtain Redstone Wire, you need Redstone Dust which can be found by mining Redstone Ore.

Redstone Wires will not carry their charge further than 15 blocks. However, it is possible to extend their range to a degree by making gates. The creation and use of gates are explained in Redstone circuits. Redstone Wire used to be "destroyed" when stepped on in-game, but this was changed due to an update, making the idea of "tripwires" no longer plausible.

Map areas generated before the Redstone update was applied, will not contain Redstone.

Trivia
When redstone wire is placed on the ground, it always points the same way. Familiarising yourself with the pattern of "holes" in the wire, particularly the two parts highlighted in red in the image, will mean that you'll always be able to find North, even when underground.