Traffic patterns in WSNs follow a converge-east (M:1) pattern, wherein nodes closer to a sink carry heavy traffic loads compared to those on peripheries. Such excess load results in depletion of available energy at an increased rate and ultimately leads to formation of energy holes around the sink. This implies non-deliverance of data to sink along certain paths and the residual total network lifetime is affected. A study on the residual network lifetime and data delivery for uniform deployments is suggested. The results show that 80 of the accumulative network energy can be left unused if the network lifetime ends. Two strategies have been proposed so as to maximize network lifetime by reducing hot-spots in sink vicinity. First, for Gaussian deployments, a correlation between network lifetime and quantity of sink-neighboring nodes has been observed. Second, for heterogeneous deployments, a correlation between network lifetime and increased energy levels of sink-neighboring nodes has been observed. In both cases, the network lifetime is capped beyond a certain threshold. Simulation results confirm both the proposed strategies by recording an increased network lifetime. © 2011 Academic Journals Inc.