Many wireless solutions on the market today have a built-in protocol. The designer can usually make small tweaks to the protocol, but usually are confined to the structure established by the manufacturer. This pre-defined structure may not be the best or most efficient for the application. For example, a system that requires 8 bytes of preamble just to send 1 byte of status data is not very efficient. This requires the transmitter to be on longer and increases current consumption which leads to shorter battery life in battery powered applications. Transparent links do not alter, buffer or store the data in any way. The bits are transmitted as soon as they come into the module. Technically speaking, the incoming bits are used to directly modulate the RF carrier. These links can be thought of as wireless wires. This gives the designer the freedom to create a protocol that is most efficient for the application instead of being required to use a generic protocol that must consider a wide range of applications.