The New Gatekeeper: Janam's GTX+ and the Future of Biometric Venue Access

BETHPAGE, NY – July 30, 2026

The line to enter a stadium or concert has long been a point of friction, a necessary delay before the main event. Janam Technologies, now part of HID, today unveiled its latest attempt to dissolve that barrier with the GTX+, a new mobile entry pedestal designed to bring facial authentication to the masses without the massive infrastructure overhaul.

This isn't just another scanner. The GTX+ is a strategic piece of hardware built for a world in transition. It aims to bridge the gap between the tickets in our digital wallets today and the biometric identity systems of tomorrow. By supporting everything from QR codes and NFC wallet passes to opt-in facial recognition, the device acknowledges a fundamental reality: the future of access won't be a single technology, but a fusion of them. The launch signals a critical evolution in the digital backbone of our public spaces, moving beyond simple validation to intelligent, identity-aware environments.

The Race for Frictionless Entry

The push for faster, more secure venue access is reaching a fever pitch. A recent Stadium Connectivity Outlook Survey found that nearly half of venue operators consider biometrics a top initiative for 2025. The reason is simple: speed. Major League Baseball’s “Go-Ahead Entry” system, which uses facial recognition, has demonstrated that biometric lanes can move 68% faster and process 2.5 times more people than the fastest traditional lanes. This isn't just a marginal improvement; it's a transformation of crowd flow.

This demand for speed and efficiency is what Janam is tapping into. The GTX+ is a taller pedestal built around the company’s existing XT4 rugged mobile computer. This taller form factor is specifically designed to position a camera at the optimal height for facial recognition as a guest approaches, minimizing the awkward pauses and failed scans that can plague less-optimized systems. By integrating with Wicket's established facial authentication platform—already used by NFL and MLB teams—Janam is leveraging a proven software solution to power its new hardware. The goal is to make biometric entry not just a premium perk, but a scalable standard.

A Flexible Bridge to the Future

Perhaps the most significant aspect of the GTX+ is its architecture. Instead of requiring venues to rip and replace their current systems with costly fixed turnstiles and permanent infrastructure, Janam is offering a modular, mobile alternative.

“Venues shouldn't have to choose between deploying facial authentication and protecting the technology investments they've already made,” said Harry B. Lerner, CEO of Janam Technologies. “GTX+ is built to do both. It gives venues a single platform to validate every major credential type, including face biometrics, while leveraging the same Janam hardware many of them already use for handheld ticket scanning.”

This strategy is crucial. Many venues already use Janam's XT4 handhelds for ticket scanning. The GTX+ allows them to dock these same devices into the pedestal, instantly expanding their capability to include self-service scanning and facial authentication. This protects prior investments and provides a phased, cost-effective upgrade path. A venue can start with a few pedestals at a VIP gate and scale up across all entry points as budget and fan adoption allow, without the disruptive and expensive requirements of wired networking and permanent construction.

Navigating the Privacy Frontier

As biometric access becomes more common, it walks a tightrope between convenience and surveillance. The promise of a “privacy-forward” approach, as claimed by Janam and its software partner Wicket, is central to earning public trust. The industry is acutely aware of the pitfalls, from class-action lawsuits over the alleged illegal collection of biometric data to the ethical storm that erupted when Madison Square Garden used its system to ban lawyers from affiliated firms.

In this complex environment, the architecture of consent is paramount. Wicket's platform, like others in the space, operates on a strictly opt-in basis. Fans must explicitly choose to enroll, a process that must comply with a patchwork of regulations like Illinois' stringent Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). As one industry expert noted, “Ease of deployment is becoming increasingly important, and a practical way to deploy privacy-first biometric access across a wide range of environments is the key.”

The challenge is twofold: ensuring the backend data is secure, anonymized, and purged appropriately, and transparently communicating these protections to the public. For systems like GTX+ to succeed, the user experience of enrollment and the clarity of the privacy policy will be just as important as the speed of the scan at the gate. The normalization of this technology depends entirely on the industry's ability to prove it can be a responsible steward of our most personal data.

Reshaping the Competitive Landscape

Janam's GTX+ enters a competitive field. CLEAR has long offered biometric entry at airports and stadiums, while MLB has partnered with NEC for its proprietary “Go-Ahead Entry” kiosks. Traditional access control giants like Alvarado and Skidata also offer sophisticated turnstile and gate solutions. Janam's strategic differentiator is its hybrid approach.

By creating a mobile pedestal that enhances its existing hardware ecosystem, the company carves out a unique position. It's not just selling a new product; it's offering an upgrade path that acknowledges the financial and operational realities of venue management. The GTX+ is less a revolution and more a pragmatic evolution—a device that allows venues to meet fans where they are, whether they prefer a QR code, an NFC tap from their Google Wallet, or a quick facial scan. This flexibility provides a powerful defense against being locked into a single, proprietary system.

Ultimately, the introduction of the GTX+ is about more than just getting people through the door. It’s part of the larger project of building intelligent infrastructure that can respond dynamically to the movement of people. By simplifying credentialing and speeding up entry, it frees up staff to focus on security and guest services, while providing operators with data that can optimize everything from crowd control to concession sales. This is the invisible network in action, subtly reshaping the urban experience one stadium at a time.