A method selects antennas in a multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) wireless local area network (WLAN) that includes a plurality of stations, and each station includes a set of antennas. Plural consecutive packets, received at a station, include plural consecutive sounding packets. Each sounding packet corresponds to a different subset of the set of antennas, and at least one of the plural consecutive packets includes a high throughput (HT) control field including a signal to initiate antenna selection and a number N indicative of a number of sounding packets which follow the at least one packet including the HT control field and which are to be used for antenna selection. A channel matrix is estimated based on a characteristic of the channel as indicated by the received N sounding packets, and a subset of antennas is selected according to the channel matrix. Station and computer program product embodiments include similar features.