The endangered ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) is estimated to have fewer than 80 individuals remaining in the United States, with the entire population constrained to South Texas. Within this population, 40% of known ocelot mortalities are due to vehicle collisions. Farm-to-market 106 (FM 106) in Cameron County, Texas, crosses Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, which contains a large portion of the remaining US ocelot population. To prevent ocelot road mortalities, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) installed or modified nine wildlife crossing structures (WCS) with flanking non-contiguous fencing along 11.9 km of FM 106. These WCS are monitored with an array of camera traps to document wildlife crossing and repel rates for each structure. Ocelots are notable as individuals have a unique coat pattern, which is also distinct on each side of the individual. Therefore, ocelots can be identified to individual using paired camera traps that capture both sides of the same individual. Two cameras face the entrance and exit to each WCS on FM 106. One camera is triggered using the default internal passive infrared (PIR) trigger provided by the manufacturer, while the other camera uses the same internal PIR trigger and an additional active infrared external tripwire (AIR) trigger. This AIR system consists of an infrared beam placed immediately within the threshold of the WCS which triggers the camera whenever the beam is broken; this design increases the likelihood a camera will record the precise moment of exit and entrance from WCS. The placement of these cameras ensures that both cameras will be faced with the same timing and distance to trigger, allowing direct comparison between the PIR and AIR systems. Direct comparisons of success rates among PIR and AIR trigger systems has been conducted by other projects, but these studies often compare strict number of captures and rarely include the potential difference in quality of captures. Analysis for this comparison was conducted in two stages. First, total number of captures were compared between PIR and AIR cameras to determine if there was a significant difference between the number of captures taken. This analysis included 17 different species with a wide range of body masses. Second, interactions were conducted for the same 17 species to determine which trigger methodology best captured each individual interaction, specifically entrances and exits from WCS. These analyses found that number of captures were similar, however AIR cameras succeed in providing detailed interaction data otherwise missed by PIR cameras. In studies with a strong focus on species use in confined spaces or small areas (such as WCS), AIR systems may prove invaluable for determining the nature of wildlife movement and interactions at these locations.