So obviously uplinks are one of the most powerful gameplay mechanics that atm don't recognise credit for placement due to the hatred we have created by just spamming them. This is a my idea of a full rethink of tese modules, ground up.

Right now:
Skill into the skill, open up more uplinks and more powerful uplinks. Too simple. And leaves the ability to place 20 uplinks at max skill.

How I would do it.

Drop Uplinks Skill

(LVL:1)
Max carried: 1
Max placed: 2
Variants:1

(LVL:3)
Max carried: 3
Max placed: 2
Variants: 4

(LVL:5)
Max carried:4
Max placed:3
Variants: 4

So what does this mean.. kinda obvious, but the more you skill into drop uplinks, the more you can carry, more you can place and more variants. But at max level limit any one player to carry a maximum of 4 uplinks of any kind, and a maximum amount of uplinks that can be place of any kind.
So a player with LVL:5 uplinks can place 3 standard uplinks, or even 3 MLT uplinks. The power of the uplinks will come from their variants.

Variations
4 main distinguishing variantions of uplinks will be, Spawn time, Spawn amount, CPU/PG costs, scan profile. And this can be done by race.
So the Amarr Dropuplink could give say:(Proto Level)
Spawn speed: 3seconds -- This is the bonus of using these uplinks, Speed of spawn.
Spawn Amount: 15 spawns
Scan profile: 30db(at standard this would be 50, ADV 36)

Minmatar:
Spawn speed: 9 seconds
Spawn Amount: :15 spawns
Scan Profile: 20db (STD 40, ADV 30) This is the bonus of using these uplinks, hard to find

Caldari:
Spawn Speed: 9 seconds
Spawn Amount: 30 spawns-- This is the bonus, more spawns on one uplink(remember there will be less uplinks on field)
Scan profile: 30db(at standard this would be 50, ADV 36)

Gallente:
Spawn Speed: 9 seconds
Spawn Amount: 15 spawns
Scan profile: 30db(at standard this would be 50, ADV 36)
CPU and PG reduced by 30% -- This is the bonus, easier to fit on suits.

Note: Spawn times, amounts, DB and CPU/PG usage will get better per tier.

What this does:
We have less uplinks, so your placement has to be of better thinking. Different variants allow people to decide, wether the have a good hiding place so speed or amounts is the better choice. Maybe the uplink needs to be somewhere very risky and will require to go unseen, so you'd choose the minmatar version to make uplink harder to find.
Skilling into Uplinks does not allow you t carry lots of different uplinks, instead you get, better uplinks.

This could also be configured for Nanohives, making choice of which ones you bring matter, Shield hive, armor hive, ammo hive, hives with no aura, hives that give ammo amount at incredible rates, at the cost of being harder to fit and being easier to locate.

TL;DR This spam **** has got to change. uplinks are a powerful game mechanic that should only work around skillfull placement and management, rather than a mas spam.

https://forums.dust514.com/default.aspx?g=posts&m=1791296#post1791296

this was my suggestion to remove link spam altogether. requires vehicles to get scouts close, scouts need to cloak to get deeper and then the troops arrive. i use uplinks not because i want to but out of necessity to counter the enemies use of them and they do so to counter me and so the spam is born. i'm not a fan of the passive use of something as powerful as an uplink. even the beacon you suggest is too passive.

The beacon isn't passive. It would have the same characteristics as any normal Uplink. Have to be deployed like any other uplink. The only thing is a) only 1 per Squad can be active (or one per un-squadded member) and if you lay one down no one can overwrite your Uplink since they can't place another within 30m of yours.

For Public Matches this would mean you can't lay down multiple Uplinks and it's a first come first serve kind of deal. In More organized play, you'd designate someone to lay down the Squad's Uplink in specific areas. Limiting them to 1 per area, with a player-specific cool down which would eliminate the need to spam them.