Wifi issues after Macbook Pro wakes up

Someone please help! I am going crazy!

About a week ago this problem started happening. When I wake my Macbook Pro, instead of instantlly connecting to my wifi network like usual, now I get an exclamation point over the wifi symbol in the menu bar. If I wait about 2 minutes it will connect, but not before. About two days later, it started happening on my wifes Macbook Pro. Hers sometimes would not connect at all. Heres the weird part-my iPad works fine, every time, right away. Yesterday I did a reset of my modem (which scares me, because everytime I have done this before the modem has mysteriously died, leaving me with no internet for several days at a time), and a hard reset of my router, and the problem was fixed. Today, its started again.

I am using a Zykel pk5001Z modem, and an Apple Extreme base station.

Late 2011 Macbook Pro 15" 2.4 i7

my wifes is a couple years older, and 13"

iPad 2

Centurylink *****. Since I transferred to them last February, I have had to replace my modem 3 times. It would stop working, I would push reset button, then it just died. 3 times. I have a hard time imagining that its the modem since my iPad works, but not sure what else to do. I really don't want to have to reset my entire network every other day. Please help me if you have any suggestions!