Are the clips in the box enough or should I grab extra brackets?

For an 180 ft run, especially across a multi-story structure and thru changing climates, you should definitely supplement the clips with brackets. The stock sticky pads are fine for short, light runs, but with that much footage and wind exposure, they just aren't robust enough to prevent the lights from sagging or coming loose later. I’ve found that getting small metal brackets with screws that grip the back of the strip provides the neccesary stability, making the entire system much more dependable. You want to anchor every few feet rather than every section, particularly on the sides and back where wind catches things.

Regarding the installation path, if you have aluminum soffit, you are correct that you want to avoid just screwing into the thin aluminum itself. You should be drilling and screwing into the underlying wood fascia board. Most of the mounting hardware for those strips comes with pilot holes, but you might want to ensure you are using the longest screws possible that still won't pierce through the fascia or into the actual roofing material. Working high up on a ladder for prolonged periods requires caution when handling small hardware, so take your time with the screws. As for corners, there are two methods, but for LED strips like this, the easiest approach is to loop the strip around the corner. You just give it a little slack so it curves naturally, rather than trying to cut or miter it. Trying to force a miter joint on a flexible strip usually results in the LED chips cracking or the adhesive failing right at the corner, which is exactly what you want to avoid. Just feed the strip around the edge and secure it on the other side.

I'd recommend doing a test run on the front fascia first to get the mounting depth and screw placement perfect before committing to the whole project. Once the bracket placement is solid and you’re comfortable with the high-level hardware, the rest of the installation should run much smoother.

When I did a long outdoor run once, the color tended to drop or flicker toward the end even when the entire thing was on. My issue wasn't the clips, but the power source itself. What relly fixed it was adding a booster box a few feet in from the main supply. That piece made all the difference because it kept the voltage consistent across the whole 180 ft run, making the color pop at the end just as much as the start.

You gotta think about how much water and moisture those cables are gonna handle when you run that far. I did a job once on my garage and didn't use a proper weatherproof junction box at every connection point. Within a season, those clips started turning brown and everything went dark, even though the main power supply looked fine. It's not just about the clips holding the weight, but the whole system staying sealed.

Make sure every single seam and where you're tapping into the power source has a good strain relief and is completely encased in a rating appropriate enclosure. I always use sealed connectors for that kind of run because you don't want tiny bits of condensation eating your wiring from the inside out. That stuff doesn't forgive neglect.

I’m not sold on the advice to just loop the strip around the corners. I’ve seen a few installs where that natural curve ended up cracking the tiny chips becuase the stress concentrates right at that bend. The adhesive just can’t handle that constant tension over a full season. Instead of looping it, most people who have done this for really tight spaces will just cut the strip and use a 45-degree angle or a small bend in the mounting material itself to transition. It takes a little more effort to prep the corner, but it keeps the light output from degrading at the seam.

Update: got the whole run up with extra brackets screwed into the fascia like some of you suggested, and the clips alone would've definitely failed on the south side. Only issue now is the far end looks dimmer than the rest of the run. Someone mentioned a booster box fixed their flickering, so does one work for a run this long or do I need more than one?