Free wireless – sounds pretty good, huh? The devil may be in the details – but free wireless might help get some folks online. According to the Pioneer Press, NetZero is offering free Internet service.

There are some costs associated with free…

To take advantage of the offer, consumers will need to buy a $50 antenna stick that plugs into a laptop, or a $100 “mobile hotspot” that allows any Wi-Fi equipped device to connect to the Internet.

And free isn’t always top of the line…

Clearwire’s network [NetZero is using Clearwire’s network] has a few problems: it’s based on a broadband technology that the rest of the industry has bypassed, which means the selection of compatible devices is limited.

And the company is hoping to get folks to upgrade…

The free accounts are limited to 200 megabytes of data per month— enough for some email and Web surfing, but little else. Half an hour of full-screen streamed video will eat up the whole month’s allotment. …

When the monthly traffic allotment is exhausted, NetZero cuts off Internet access until the start of the next month, and users are prompted to upgrade to the paid plan.

NetZero will only let users ride free for a year.

Still free can be pretty compelling and a year of free would be an opportunity for someone who might not otherwise get broadband to test the water – maybe build up a business case for adding it to the household budget after the year is up.

Also free is a good opportunity to figure out if the service will work when you live, work or visit. In 2010, I had a chance to try out Ireland’s wireless service for free. Part of their National Broadband Plan was using wireless service to reach remote areas – and I happened to be in one such area for a week. The service was very OK – but with a free trial I could make an informed decision to sign up. (I would have signed up too since shaky broadband beats nothing!)

Note: NetZero doesn’t have anything on their homepage about the free access – but if you click to order, you will see the option.