ESP8266 Community Forum

Hi there! Total newbie here.
I have a question that might bit strange but I figured I would ask. Both the esp8266 and nrf24l01 use 2.4GHz so is it possible to have the esp8266 not use the wifi protocol but just send a few bytes of data that could be read by the nrf24l01 over the air?
And can it work the other way around (having the esp8266 listen to data sent by the nrf24l01)?
By extension could we have two esp8266 talk to each other without using wifi but just like two nrf24l01 would do?

The reason I ask that is that it seems to me that wifi protocol is way overkill for just sending a few byte of data once in a while. And while it works it draws a lot more energy that a nrf24l01 would use to do the same tasks.
Is there any low level access to the rx/tx of the antenna?

As far as I know the real issue has more to do with the ESP8266 when having the front end enabled, it just draws current. Though the ESP does support ESP freedom which lets you send/receive packets arbitrarily.

Thanks cnlohr for your answer!
So it is possible to just send a few bytes of data through the 2.4GHz antenna without having to first establish connection through the wifi protocol?
How do I do that?
I tried searching more info on "ESP freedom" but could not find anything...