I read a review about the length of the wire vs. the lights, that was very helpful in choosing how many strands to get. Our space is a little over 50 feet, so 2 strands were more than enough for our needs, but you could always get more. In between each light is about a foot and a half. You could use hooks but these were easy enough to just screw in to our fence. Love that these last so much longer than described, we get a good 12 hours from these after only 1 charging. The clip and steak are a great bonus to where to place your charger. They are not that bright but we like that soft, warm look.