diff --git a/lib/protocol/1.js b/lib/protocol/1.js
index 15c6e08..f6d57f0 100644
--- a/lib/protocol/1.js
+++ b/lib/protocol/1.js
@@ -4,7 +4,52 @@
  * MIT Licensed
  */
 
-var EventEmitter = require('events').EventEmitter;
+var EventEmitter = this.EventEmitter || require('events').EventEmitter
+  , keys = Object.keys || (function polyfill () {
+      var has = Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty
+        , hasDontEnumBug = !{ toString: null }.propertyIsEnumerable('toString')
+        , DontEnums = [
+              'toString'
+            , 'toLocaleString'
+            , 'valueOf'
+            , 'hasOwnProperty'
+            , 'isPrototypeOf'
+            , 'propertyIsEnumerable'
+            , 'constructor'
+          ]
+        , DontEnumsLength = DontEnums.length;
+
+      /**
+       * Return all the keys of the given object.
+       *
+       * @param {Object} o
+       * @returns {Array}
+       * @api public
+       */
+
+      return function keys (o) {
+        if (typeof o !== 'object' && typeof o !== 'function' || o === null) {
+          throw new TypeError('Object.keys called on a non-object');
+        }
+
+        var result = [];
+        for (var name in o) {
+          if (has.call(o, name)) {
+            result.push(name);
+          }
+        }
+
+        if (hasDontEnumBug) {
+          for (var i = 0; i < DontEnumsLength; i++) {
+            if (has.call(o, DontEnums[i])) {
+              result.push(DontEnums[i]);
+            }
+          }
+        }
+
+        return result;
+      };
+    })();
 
 /**
  * The protocol.
@@ -20,9 +65,38 @@ function Protocol (encode, decode) {
 
   this.encode = encode || JSON.stringify;
   this.decode = decode || JSON.parse;
+
+  EventEmitter.call(this);
 }
 
-Protocol.prototype.__proto__ = EventEmitter.prototype;
+Protocol.prototype = new EventEmitter;
+Protocol.prototype.constructor = Protocol;
+
+/**
+ * A object of all protocol types with a mapping to it's index.
+ *
+ * @type {Object}
+ * @api private
+ */
+
+Protocol.types = {
+    'disconnect': 0   // disconnect initiated by server
+  , 'connect': 1      // successfull connection
+  , 'heartbeat': 2    // heartbeat signal
+  , 'codec': 3        // JavaScript Object encoded with a codec
+  , 'event': 4        // event for EventEmitter
+  , 'reboot': 5       // the server is rebooting
+  , 'error': 6        // error
+};
+
+/**
+ * A list of protocol types.
+ *
+ * @type {Array}
+ * @api private
+ */
+
+Protocol.typelist = keys(Protocol.types);
 
 /**
  * Encode the message.
@@ -54,8 +128,24 @@ Protocol.prototype.decode = function decode (message) {
  * @api private
  */
 
+Protocol.regexp = /(\d+)#(\d+)?#(\d+)?#/;
 Protocol.prototype.parse = function parse () {
+  var data
+    , type
+    , id
+    , length
+    , message;
+
+  while (this.queue.length) {
+    data = this.queue.match(Protocol.regexp);
+
+    // we don't have enough data yet to parse out the wire format
+    // or we don't have enough data yet to splice out all the information
+    if (!data || this.queue.length < +data[2]) break;
+
+  }
 
+  this.emit('message');
 };
 
 /**
diff --git a/lib/red.js b/lib/red.js
index 8c69693..30b7506 100644
--- a/lib/red.js
+++ b/lib/red.js
@@ -358,6 +358,7 @@ RED.prototype.transport = function transport (data, request, response, head) {
       sessionid: data.session
     , connectionid: data.id
     , specification: data.query.callback || +data.query.specification || 0
+    , protocol: new Protocol[data.protocol]
   });
 
   // initialize the request
diff --git a/tests/common.js b/tests/common.js
index cab8c3a..796ec8c 100644
--- a/tests/common.js
+++ b/tests/common.js
@@ -8,9 +8,16 @@
  * Expose globals that we would be using in most of the test suites.
  */
 
-RED = require('../');
-Engine = require('../lib/engine');
-request = require('request');
+global.RED = RED = require('../');
+global.Engine = Engine = require('../lib/engine');
+global.Protocols = Protocols = require('../lib/protocol');
+
+/**
+ * Global dependencies
+ */
+
+global.should = should = require('should');
+global.require = request = require('request');
 
 /**
  * Helper tools
diff --git a/tests/engine.test.js b/tests/engine.test.js
index 6682191..e622885 100644
--- a/tests/engine.test.js
+++ b/tests/engine.test.js
@@ -66,13 +66,15 @@ describe('engine.js', function () {
           hostname: 'wtftrololol'
       });
 
-      engine.connect();
-
       engine.on('error', function () {});
       engine.once('connect failed', function (err) {
+        err.message.should.equal('Failed to establish a connection');
+
         engine.close();
         next();
       });
+
+      engine.connect();
     });
   });
 
diff --git a/tests/protocol.1.test.js b/tests/protocol.1.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4fd1f50
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/protocol.1.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+describe('Protocol.1', function () {
+  var Protocol = Protocols['1'];
+
+  it('should be exported as a function', function () {
+    Protocol.should.be.a('function');
+  });
+
+  it('should initialize without any issues', function () {
+    var parser = new Protocol();
+  });
+
+  it('should be a instance of EventEmitter', function () {
+    var parser = new Protocol();
+
+    if (!(parser instanceof process.EventEmitter)) {
+      should.fail('should be an EventEmitter');
+    }
+  });
+
+  describe('#encode', function () {
+
+  });
+
+  describe('#decode', function () {
+
+  });
+
+  describe('#stream', function () {
+
+  });
+});
diff --git a/tests/ssl/red-csr.pem b/tests/ssl/red-csr.pem
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c3a3937
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/ssl/red-csr.pem
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE REQUEST-----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+-----END CERTIFICATE REQUEST-----
diff --git a/transports/transport.js b/transports/transport.js
index b890a25..90a679a 100644
--- a/transports/transport.js
+++ b/transports/transport.js
@@ -35,6 +35,9 @@ function Transport (engine, response, options) {
   // restrictions
   this.maxiumBuffer = 38400;
 
+  // protocol parser
+  this.protocol = null;
+
   _.extend(this, options || {});
 
   this.engine = engine;